Category: World

A draft law in the UK to create a “smoke-free generation” by banning smoking for anybody born after 2008 has cleared both houses of parliament. Only the king’s signature remains for it to become law.

Children who do not reach the age of 18 before January 1, 2027 will never be permitted to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in the UK, once a new law that has now completely cleared parliament gets royal assent from King Charles III.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill cleared its final parliamentary hurdle on Monday, when the House of Lords signed off on the last minor amendments to a bill in the pipeline since 2024, early in the current Labour government’s tenure.

Only one other country, the Maldives, currently has a similar “generational smoking ban” in place.

The very first country to do so, New Zealand, swiftly overturned the law following a change in government in 2023.

What are the new rules for smoking and vaping and where will they apply?

The rules will apply in all four of the UK’s constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They were developed in conjunction with the devolved parliaments in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

A selection of the core changes and provisions follow:

• Technically, the new law will raise the legal age requirement in the UK for buying cigarettes, cigars or tobacco, which is currently 18, by one year in every subsequent year, starting on January 1, 2027
• This will effectively mean that people born on or after January 1, 2009 will never be eligible to buy them
• Retailers will face financial penalties for selling the products to those not entitled to them
• The government will also be empowered to impose a new registration system for smoking and vaping products entering the country, seeking to improve oversight
• The bill will expand the UK’s indoor smoking ban to a series of outdoor public spaces, for instance in children’s playgrounds, outside schools and hospitals
• Most indoor spaces that are designated smoke-free will become vape-free as well
• Smoking in designated areas outside pubs and bars and other hospitality settings will remain permissible
• Smoking and vaping will remain legal in people’s homes
• Vaping will become illegal in cars if someone under the age of 18 is inside, to match existing rules on smoking
• Advertising for smoking and vaping products will be banned
• People aged 18 or older will remain eligible to purchase vaping products, but some items targeted at younger consumers like disposable vapes have already been outlawed as part of the program

Lebanon’s healthcare system is under severe strain despite a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Thousands of displaced pregnant women are struggling to access medical services.

When 32-year-old Nour fled her home in Beirut, she focused on one thing: staying calm.

“I was breathing slowly and holding my belly the whole time,” she told DW, describing the night she escaped intense shelling in her neighborhood while four months pregnant — just days before the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on April 17.

“Being pregnant makes everything heavier — not just physically, but emotionally,” Nour said, asking for her last name not to published. “I keep asking myself if my baby is safe inside me.”

Nour now lives in a collective shelter, one of hundreds set up across the country. Conditions are difficult: a lack of privacy and inadequate sanitation all increase health risks, particularly for expectant mothers.

Public shelters reached maximum capacity when Lebanonwas drawn into the wider Middle East conflict in early March after the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia attacked Israel following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as part of the wider US-Israel war in Iran.

Lebanese health authorities say Israeli airstrikes and a limited ground invasion have killed around 2,300 people, injured more than 7,000 and displaced approximately 1.2 million since March. The majority of those displaced have yet to return home, with uncertainly looming as the ceasefire is set to expire in a few days.

Healthcare system on the brink

Nour’s situation is far from unique. Among the displaced are thousands of women facing pregnancy under extreme conditions. Aid agencies warn the impact on women is especially severe.

“The situation for women and girls in Lebanon is catastrophic,” said Anandita Philipose, the Lebanon representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). She noted that the UNFPA estimates that of the 1.2 million people displaced since March 2, “over 13,500 are pregnant women and 1,500 are expected to give birth within the next month.”

Access to maternal care is deteriorating rapidly, with facilities damaged and resources stretched thin.

“Lebanon’s already fragile health system is now on the brink of collapse,” Philipose said, pointing to growing barriers to obtaining obstetric services.

The World Health Organization reported this week that at least 51 primary healthcare centers have closed amid the fighting, which has also killed dozens of medical workers.

Hospitals that remain operational are struggling to cope.

“We cannot bring in enough supplies and have to ration medication in case the conflict lasts more than three months,” Zeina Khouri Stevens, vice president for health services at Beirut’s LAU Medical Center, a central hospital in the capital, said. “This instability further weakens the health system.”

Thousands isolated in southern Lebanon

Conditions are even more precarious in the south of the country, where access to medical facilities is severely restricted.

UNFPA estimates that around 1,700 pregnant women are among the roughly 150,000 people are cut off from the rest of the country. “These women are at grave risk,” Philipose said.

Aid efforts are ongoing but limited by both insecurity and funding shortages. Where possible, Philipose said, mobile medical units have been deployed, along with reproductive health kits. Local midwives and doctors who have stayed behind continue to provide support.

Still, the response is falling short of what is needed. Philipose said the agency’s emergency appeal for March to May sought $12 million (€10.2 million) to reach 225, 000 people, but only a fraction of that has been received so far. Continued escalation has already outpaced those plans.

Years of strain and uncertainty

Lebanon’s once strong health system was already under severe pressure before the latest escalation.

“The system first became strained by the massive influx of Syrian refugees beginning in 2013,” said Jade Khalife, a Beirut-based public health physician and epidemiologist. “The more acute shock to the system followed in late 2019 with the economic collapse.”

Four years into an economic crisis, deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the August 2020 Beirut port blast and a prolonged political vacuum, Lebanon launched its national health strategy, ‘Vision 2030,’ in January 2023. Former minister of public health Firass Abiad said at the time that the plan aimed to modernize the country’s health sector.

“Despite considerable efforts by health professionals and institutions across the country, and increased investment by various organizations, the system still remains highly vulnerable,” Khalife said.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/lebanon-war-puts-pregnant-women-at-risk/a-76884533

The US-Israel war on Iran has taught Tehran a valuable lesson – it may not have a nuclear weapon, but it controls the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping route that gives it strategic leverage akin to a nuclear deterrent.

Nuclear weapons. Specifically, an estimated 440kg of 60 per cent enriched uranium, short of the 90 per cent weaponisation threshold but enough to make eight to 12 bombs, if needed. That was the target the United States painted on the map of Iran likely hanging in Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office, and in the Pentagon war room, before this war began.

For decades the US, Europe, and Israel have feared Iran getting a nuclear weapon.

The argument has always been that a nuke for Tehran might prompt other regional powers – like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Turkey – into a nuclear arms race in a volatile part of the world, one that supplies it with a third of all oil and gas, and vast amounts of fertilisers and other raw materials.

The not-so-public concern has always been loss of strategic control over West Asia, i.e., fears that a nuclear-capable Iran rewrites regional power equations and weakens Western ties with other Arab states, costing it a key trade and military hub connecting Europe and the rest of Asia.

And for decades – most of which it laboured through under debilitating economic sanctions and threats of war – Iran felt it needed nuclear weapons to protect its national security.

But, as it turns out, Iran never really needed a nuclear deterrent.

It had the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran’s throttling of tanker traffic revealed the channel – which handles 20-25 per cent of the world’s seaborne crude oil and gas trade – to be the geographical equivalent of a nuke.

Some of the women, who were claimed to be on the verge of execution, have been released, Iran said.

Iran’s judiciary denied on Tuesday that eight women arrested over protests that shook the Islamic republic this year were at risk of execution, after US President Donald Trump urged Tehran to release them to help negotiations.

Rights groups have said at least one woman arrested over the January protests has been sentenced to death while at least one more is facing charges that carry the death penalty and could see her executed.

“Trump was misled once again by fake news,” the judiciary’s official Mizan Online website said. “The women who were claimed to be on the verge of execution, some of them have been released, while others face charges that, if convictions are upheld, would at most result in imprisonment.”

Trump had earlier said on social media that the women’s release could work in Iran’s favour in negotiations, re-posting an activist’s claim that eight women were facing death by hanging. That claim did not give names but included photographs of the women.

“I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

US-based Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad however posted the names of all eight women on her X account. They had all been arrested in connection with the January protests, which activists say were put down in a crackdown that left thousands dead.

“Say their names,” Alinejad said, alleging that one of those held was as young as 16.

One of the women identified, Bita Hemmati, was sentenced to death along with three men, including her husband, in a case where they are accused of throwing concrete blocks from a residential building onto security forces in Tehran, several rights groups reported earlier this month.

The US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center rights group said it also believed that Hemmati was the woman who appeared in a video broadcast on state television in January being personally interrogated by judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.

Another woman in the pictures reposted by Trump is Mahboubeh Shabani, 32, who according to the Norway-based Hengaw rights group, has been charged with the capital offence of “waging war against God” after being accused of using her motorcycle to transport wounded protesters in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

She is currently being held in the women’s ward of Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, according to Hengaw, which expressed “deep concern over the risk of a death sentence in this case”.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-denies-execution-of-women-after-donald-trump-seeks-clemency-misled-once-again-by-fake-news-11390158?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will be extending the ceasefire until Iran comes up with a unified proposal.

Pakistan, which has positioned itself as the lead negotiator in talks between Iran and the US, seems to have played a significant role in changing US President Donald Trump’s mind about extending the ceasefire that was due to expire in hours.

The Republican announced on Wednesday that he will be extending the ceasefire until Iran comes up with a unified proposal. The decision, he said, was taken after a “request” from Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir to hold off attacks on Iran until the Tehran leadership comes with a proposal.

Despite Trump continuing to issue threats against what he described as a “seriously fractured” Iran, his decision to extend the ceasefire is being seen as a significant development amid growing fears of further escalation.

What made Trump walk back on ‘no extension’ vow?

Donald Trump’s ceasefire extension announcement came as a big surprise, given how he had said hours before that he was in no mood to do so. “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” Trump told CNBC in an interview when asked about the possibility of extending the ceasefire.

He had even issued fresh threats to Iran, saying he expected to be “bombing” if a deal with Iran is not reached and the ceasefire ends without any resolution. So what made him change his mind?

While the US President didn’t specify what swayed him in favour of extending the ceasefire that was due to end soon, he did mention two factors in his Truth Social post: a “seriously fractured” Iran government, and a “request” from Munir and Sharif to let Tehran come up with a proposal and hold off attacks until then.

Sharif thanks Trump for accepting request

After Trump’s announcement, Shehbaz Sharif thanked the US President for accepting Pakistan’s request to “extend the ceasefire to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course”.

“With the trust and confidence reposed in, Pakistan shall continue its earnest efforts for negotiated settlement of conflict,” Sharif said, and also formally confirmed that a second round of talks was scheduled in Pakistan, without specifying a date.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-iran-ceasefire-extension-how-asim-munir-pakistan-pm-shehbaz-sharif-islamabad-request-changed-donald-trump-mind-101776805771920.html

A warning by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has crystallised fears among Gulf states that reopening the Strait of Hormuz may be the most Iran-U.S. talks can achieve, falling short of the broader de-escalation they regard as vital.
Officials and ​analysts expect the next round of negotiations, due in Islamabad, will focus increasingly not on Iran’s missiles or regional proxies but on uranium enrichment limits and how to handle Iran’s leverage over the Strait, the world’s most critical ‌oil shipping route.

Gulf officials warn the approach risks entrenching Iran’s grip on Middle East energy supplies by managing rather than dismantling its leverage, prioritising global economic stability even while leaving the countries most exposed to the energy and security consequences outside formal decision-making.
Gulf sources say U.S.–Iran diplomacy is now centered less on rolling back Iran’s missile programme and more on enrichment levels and tacitly accepting Tehran’s leverage over Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of global oil supplies.
Although negotiations remain stalled over enrichment, with Iran rejecting both zero enrichment and demands to ship its stockpiles abroad, Gulf officials say the shift in priorities itself is troubling.

“At the end ​of the day, Hormuz will be the red line,” one Gulf source close to government circles said. “It wasn’t an issue before. It is now. The goal posts have moved.”
There was no immediate response from Gulf Arab governments to requests for comment ​on the issues raised in this article.
Iran’s threats to Gulf shipping during the war have broken long‑standing taboos around the Strait, making its disruption a realistic lever in negotiations for the first time.
Hormuz’s central ⁠role was bluntly articulated by Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, in a post on X on April 8.
“It’s not clear how the truce between Washington and Tehran will play out,” Medvedev said. “But one thing is certain — Iran has tested its nuclear weapons. ​It is called the Strait of Hormuz. Its potential is inexhaustible.”

HORMUZ IS A ‘GOLDEN ASSET’, SAYS IRANIAN SECURITY SOURCE

Iranian security officials privately echo that view, describing the Strait not ​as a contingency but as a long‑prepared instrument of deterrence.
“Iran prepared for years for a scenario involving the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, planning every step,” said a senior Iranian security source. “Today it is one of Iran’s most effective tools — a form of geographic leverage that serves as a powerful deterrent.”
The source described the Strait as a “golden, invaluable asset rooted in Iran’s geography — one the world cannot take away precisely because it flows from Iran’s location.”
A second Iranian source, close to the Revolutionary Guards, went further, suggesting that a long‑standing taboo surrounding the use of Hormuz had now been broken.

This source described Hormuz ​as a sword “drawn from its sheath” that the U.S. and regional states could not ignore, providing the region with leverage against external powers.
What alarms Gulf Arab states most, analysts say, is that while Iranian missiles, drones and proxies have repeatedly attacked their region, negotiations are ​increasingly framed almost exclusively around Hormuz because of its global economic impact, marginalising Gulf security concerns.
At its core, the Hormuz dispute is less about who controls the Strait than about who sets the rules of passage, Gulf sources say, reflecting a broader shift away from fixed international norms toward ‌power‑based arrangements.
That, said ⁠Ebtesam Al-Ketbi, president of the Emirates Policy Center, exposes an imbalance between those who define the rules and those who bear the consequences when rules are broken.
“What is taking shape today is not a historic settlement,” Al‑Ketbi told Reuters, “but a deliberate engineering of sustainable conflict.”
“Who’s suffering from missiles and proxies?” she added. “Israel, and specifically the Gulf states. What would be a good deal for us is (addressing) missiles, proxies — and Hormuz. And it seems they don’t care about the missiles or the proxies.”

CAUTION ON SANCTIONS RELIEF

Analysts warn such an approach in the talks would not so much resolve tensions as stabilise them at manageable levels, an outcome that may suit Washington and Tehran but risks entrenching instability for Gulf states living under the threat of missiles.
The U.S.–Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28, has already left Gulf ​economies absorbing the fallout, from attacks on energy infrastructure to rising ​export and insurance costs. Alternative trade export routes raise costs ⁠and remain exposed to the same Iranian missile threats.
Diplomats say Gulf officials have urged Washington against full sanctions relief, advocating a phased approach to test Iran’s behaviour. They say core threats remain unaddressed, notably missiles able to hit Gulf capitals and Iran’s armed proxies used as extensions of the Iranian state.
Across the Arab Gulf, sentiment toward Washington now ranges from quiet resentment to growing frustration and confusion over ​unilateral U.S. decision‑making.
Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Saudi-based Gulf Research Center, said dealing with the Iran issue required “a different approach.”
“The U.S. is part and parcel of regional security…” he added. “But that does ​not mean acting unilaterally — going full-fledged without ⁠involving the region.”
While Gulf leaders bristle at being sidelined, they privately and publicly concede that U.S. military capabilities continue to shape outcomes through their unmatched superiority.
UAE academic Abdulkhaleq Abdulla said that Gulf Arab states had survived the war in large part due to their own defences and sophisticated U.S.-supplied weapons such as the THAAD and Patriot air defence systems.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/gulf-worries-us-iran-talks-may-cement-tehrans-golden-grip-hormuz-2026-04-20/

Federal Reserve chief nominee Kevin Warsh said on Tuesday he had made no promises to President Donald Trump about cutting interest rates, as he tried to assure U.S. senators mulling his confirmation to lead the U.S. central bank that he ​would act independently of the White House while pursuing broad reforms.
In a hearing that ranged from Warsh’s calls for “regime change” at the Fed to contentious exchanges over his personal finances, the 56-year-old lawyer and financier said that ‌in his conversations with Trump about the job, “the president never asked me to commit to interest rate cuts … he did not demand it … the president never asked me to commit to any such thing nor would I do so.”

Trump, who nominated Warsh for the top Fed job, has repeatedly expressed his confidence that his pick will deliver lower rates if confirmed, and said in a CNBC interview just prior to the hearing on Tuesday that he would be disappointed if it didn’t happen.
Warsh is considered likely to be confirmed, but the timing of any Senate approval remains unclear. Republican Senator Thom Tillis, in an unusual turn, used ​his time during the hearing not to ask questions of Warsh, but to detail why he would delay the confirmation until the Trump administration drops an ongoing criminal probe of current Fed Chair Jerome Powell over a renovation ​of the central bank’s headquarters in Washington.

Tillis’ hold on the nomination could leave Warsh unconfirmed and Powell remaining as Fed chief even after his tenure in the top job ends on May 15.

NO ⁠COMMENT ON POWELL, COOK CASE, 2020 ELECTION

In response to a series of questions from Democratic committee members trying to highlight potential distance between the nominee and Trump, Warsh declined to comment about the administration’s various efforts to put pressure on the Fed, including the probe ​of Powell and the attempt to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, a matter that is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
He also refused to say that Trump lost the 2020 election, or to comment on whether the Republican president’s call for interest rates to be ​cut as low as 1%, a level typically not seen outside of efforts to fight an economic downturn, made economic sense at a time when the economy is still growing and unemployment remains relatively low.

Warsh also said that while he would stick with plans to sell more than $100 million in assets if confirmed for the Fed job, under an agreement with ethics officials, he would not detail what those assets are or how and to whom they would be sold. The proceeds, he said, would go into “plain vanilla” assets.
But Warsh did give some rough details on ​what he means by his call for “robust reform” at the U.S. central bank.
He blamed the central bank under Powell for an inflation surge in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to hurt U.S. households. Coupled with the implications of ​artificial intelligence for jobs and prices, he said he would move quickly to see if new data tools could provide better insight on inflation, and also to discourage policymakers from saying too much about where interest rates might be heading.

“What the Fed needs are reforms ‌to its frameworks ⁠and reforms to its communications,” the former Fed governor said, adding that he would rather have “messier” policy meetings with more disagreements to hash out around the table and less public commentary ahead of time.
“Too many Fed officials opine about where interest rates should be. … That is quite unhelpful,” he said, an issue that could put him at odds with the presidents of the Fed’s 12 regional banks who see public communications and frequent appearances now as an integral part of their job.
“The fatal policy errors going back four or five years” are a legacy that families are still working through, Warsh said, arguing that the Fed needed “a new and different inflation framework” that, for example, might exploit advances in large data collection to better gauge inflation trends.

‘MONETARY POLICY INDEPENDENCE ​IS ESSENTIAL’

Much of the hearing focused on Warsh’s relationship with ​Trump, and why the president’s comments that his Fed ⁠chief nominee would cut rates were not an indication of an agreement already struck.
“Presidents tend to be for cutting rates. … President Trump expresses it quite publicly,” said Warsh, who served as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011. But “I do not believe the operational independence of monetary policy is particularly threatened when elected officials – presidents, senators, or members of the House (of Representatives) – state their ​views.”
“Monetary policy independence is essential,” Warsh had said in a public statement to the committee, which will decide whether to recommend he be confirmed for a seat on the ​Fed’s Board of Governors as ⁠well as a four-year term as head of the central bank.
“Congress tasked the Fed with the mission to ensure price stability, without excuse or equivocation, argument or anguish. Inflation is a choice, and the Fed must take responsibility for it. Low inflation is the Fed’s plot armor,” he added.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/warshs-path-top-fed-job-entangled-ahead-senate-confirmation-hearing-2026-04-21/

Meta (META.O), is installing new tracking software on U.S.-based employees’ computers to capture mouse movements, clicks and ​keystrokes for use in training its artificial intelligence models, part of a broad initiative to build AI agents that can perform work tasks autonomously, the company told staffers in ‌internal memos seen by Reuters.
The tool, called Model Capability Initiative (MCI), will run on work-related apps and websites and will also take occasional snapshots of the content on employees’ screens, according to one of the memos, posted by a staff AI research scientist on Tuesday in a channel for the company’s model-building Meta SuperIntelligence Labs team.

The purpose, according to the memo, was to improve the company’s AI models in areas where they struggle to replicate how humans interact with computers, like choosing from dropdown menus ​and using keyboard shortcuts.
“This is where all Meta employees can help our models get better simply by doing their daily work,” it said.
The Facebook and Instagram owner has been moving aggressively to ​integrate AI into its workflows and reshape its workforce around the technology, arguing it will make the company operate more efficiently.
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth told employees ⁠in a separate memo shared on Monday that the company would step up internal data collection as part of those “AI for Work” efforts, now re-branded as Agent Transformation Accelerator (ATA).

“The vision we are building towards is ​one where our agents primarily do the work and our role is to direct, review and help them improve,” Bosworth said. The aim, he added, was for agents to “automatically see where we felt the need to intervene ​so they can be better next time.”
Bosworth did not explicitly spell out how those agents would be trained, but said Meta would be “rigorous” about “building up data and evals for all the types of interactions we have as we go about our work.”
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone acknowledged that the MCI data would be among the inputs.

AI WORKFORCE OVERHAUL

Stone said the data gathered via MCI would not be used for performance assessments or any other purpose besides model training and that safeguards were in ​place to protect “sensitive content,” without elaborating on which types of data would be excluded from collection.

“If we’re building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people ​actually use them — things like mouse movements, clicking buttons, and navigating dropdown menus,” said Stone.
The push to automate functions previously performed by human staffers reflects a broad pattern among major U.S. companies this year, especially in the tech sector.
AI ‌tools have captivated ⁠Silicon Valley with their ability to handle complex tasks like creating apps and organizing large volumes of data with limited human oversight, sparking a selloff in stocks of traditional software companies and inspiring some executives to plan extensive job cuts.
Meta is planning to lay off 10% of its workforce globally starting on May 20 and is eyeing additional large cuts later this year.

Amazon.com (AMZN.O), similarly has trimmed 30,000 corporate employees in recent months, representing nearly 10% of its white-collar workers, while in February the fintech company Block (XYZ.N), chopped nearly half of its staff.
Internally, Meta has been exhorting staffers to use AI agents for coding and other tasks, even if it slows them down in ​the short term. It has also been wiping ​out distinctions between certain job functions in favor ⁠of a new general-purpose job title called “AI builder.”
Last month, it created a new Applied AI (AAI) engineering team aimed at improving the coding capabilities of Meta’s AI models and using them to craft AI agents that can perform the bulk of the work to build, test and ship future products and infrastructure at Meta.
Meta started transferring “strong” ​software engineers into AAI earlier this month.

WHITE-COLLAR SURVEILLANCE CONCERNS

Computer logging and screenshotting technology have historically been used by companies to hunt for employee misconduct or non-work-related ​activities, said Ifeoma Ajunwa, a ⁠law professor at Yale University.
The move to log employees’ keystrokes takes the data-gathering goals a step further, she said, subjecting white-collar employees to a degree of real-time surveillance previously experienced only by delivery drivers and gig workers.
“On the U.S. side, federally, there is no limit on worker surveillance,” Ajunwa said, adding that state-level laws require at most that workers be broadly informed when employers are monitoring them.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/meta-start-capturing-employee-mouse-movements-keystrokes-ai-training-data-2026-04-21/

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said on Tuesday the state was launching a criminal probe into OpenAI and its ​artificial intelligence app ChatGPT over a deadly shooting last year that ‌killed two people at Florida State University.
A gunman killed two people and wounded six others at Florida State University in April last year before he was shot by ​officers and hospitalized. The suspect was charged with multiple counts of ​murder and attempted murder.

“The chatbot advised the shooter on what ⁠type of gun to use, on which ammo went with which gun, ​on whether or not a gun would be useful at short range,” ​Uthmeier said in a press briefing.

“If it was a person on the other end of that screen, we would be charging them with murder.”
Uthmeier’s office said the investigation will determine ​whether “OpenAI bears criminal responsibility for ChatGPT’s actions in the shooting.”
The Office ​of Statewide Prosecution subpoenaed OpenAI for some information and records, it added.
The rise of AI has ‌fed ⁠a host of concerns ranging from worries that electricity demand by data centers could raise power prices for consumers, to fears that the technology could cost workers their jobs or be used to disrupt the democratic ​process, turbocharge fraud or ​help people ⁠plan criminal activities.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/florida-launches-criminal-probe-into-openai-chatgpt-over-deadly-shooting-2026-04-21/

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday he had cancelled ​his trip to Eswatini this week, after his government accused China of pressing three other African countries to revoke ‌permission for his aircraft to fly over their territories.
The small southern African nation of Eswatini is one of only 12 countries to retain formal ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Lai was due to leave on Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession.

Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an said the Seychelles, Mauritius, and ​Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permits for the presidential aircraft to cross their countries on his journey without prior warning.
“The actual reason ​was intense pressure exerted by Chinese authorities, including economic coercion,” he told a hastily called news conference in ⁠Taipei.

MADAGASCAR SAYS OVERFLIGHT DENIED

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China, which has deep economic and political ​ties with Africa, says Taiwan is one of its provinces with no right to call itself a country.
Speaking to Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo ​in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged support for the continent and its development needs, according to a state media read-out that did not mention Lai’s cancelled visit to Eswatini.

Lai, in a post on his Facebook page, said China’s “suppressive actions” demonstrate the threat that authoritarian states pose to the international order, ​peace, and stability.
“No threat or suppression can change Taiwan’s determination to engage with the world, nor can it negate Taiwan’s ability to contribute ​to the international community,” he added.
Seychelles’ foreign affairs ministry told Reuters that the Taiwanese president’s plane had not been granted clearance for overflight or landing, in ‌line with ⁠the government’s longstanding policy of not recognising Taiwan’s sovereignty.
“The decision was taken independently and in accordance with established procedures,” Aline Morel, senior protocol officer at the ministry, said in an email.
A Madagascar foreign ministry official also confirmed having denied an overflight request. “Malagasy diplomacy recognises only one China. The decision was made in full respect of Madagascar’s sovereignty over its airspace,” the official said.

CONGRESS will be looking into the eerie disappearances or deaths of 11 scientists with ties to US nuclear and space research programs as national security concerns grow.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer warned on Sunday that “something sinister could be happening” as details of the mysterious events continue to emerge.

Comer, a republican representative from Kentucky, told Fox & Friends Weekend that when he first heard about a potential link between the disappearances, it sounded like “some kind of crazy conspiracy theory.”

Eleven people who have worked close to US space programs have died or gone missing in recent years, with Amy Eskridge, 34, being the latest person to be connected to the possible link.

Eskridge allegedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head on June 11, 2022, in Huntsville, Alabama.

However, the lawmaker has since changed his mind and alerted several government agencies, demanding answers.

“We’ve put a notice out to the Department of War, to the FBI, to NASA, to the Department of Energy, that we want to know everything that they know about what happened with these scientists, because those four agencies were predominantly the agencies that those 11 individuals were affiliated with. And we want to try to piece this together,” he said.

Comer has plans to bring the leaders of the offices mentioned before Congress, but sent them letters in advance to ensure their testimony wouldn’t compromise any potential classified investigations.

“We know there are many countries around the world that would love to have our knowledge and nuclear capabilities. And these are the people that were at the forefront of it, and they’re either dead or missing,” he said.

Eskridge, despite only being identified recently as a possible link, appears to be the earliest death in the ongoing mystery.

Conspiracy theories surrounding her death came about after a 2020 interview resurfaced where she said, “My life is in danger.”

Eskridge co-founded the Institute for Exotic Science with her retired NASA engineer father.

Jason Thomas, 45, was most recently found floating dead in Lake Quannapowitt in Massachusetts on March 17, 2026, after he was reported missing on December 12, 2025.

Thomas was the assistant director of chemical biology at Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Novartis.

Authorities did not suspect any foul play at the time he was found.

Nine other figures have been tied to the potential case, including retired Air Force Major General William “Neil” McCasland, 68, who vanished on February 27 with nothing but a gun and a pair of boots in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

McCasland helped lead an infamous military site, which is known for its association with UFO sightings.

His wife, Susan Wilkerson, told a 911 dispatcher she believed he “had planned not to be found” after she found crucial items, including his phone, inside their home.

His disappearance came just months after his former colleague, Monica Reza, 60, disappeared on a hiking trip.

Reza, who went missing in June 2025, worked on a rocket project overseen by McCasland.

She was last seen hiking in a Californian forest with a colleague, but after months of searching, officials have yet to find her.

Nuno Loureiro, a 47-year-old MIT physics professor who was shot dead in his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, was also named as one of the eleven mysterious cases.

He was assassinated on December 16, 2025 where officials blamed his death on a former classmate from Portugal, Claudio Neves Valente.

Valente, who died by suicide a day later, was accused of carrying out a school shooting at Brown University just two days prior to Loureiro’s death.

Loureiro began leading MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2024, where he worked on advancements in clean energy technology.

He was previously a researcher in Lisbon where he studied nuclear fusion before moving to MIT.

Carl Grillmair, 67, a Caltech astrophysicist was similarly gunned down outside of his California home on February 16, 2026 in an unprovoked attack.

Grillmair notably discovered water on a planet outside of our solar system, with conditions potentially pointing to alien life.

Police arrested 29-year-old Freddy Snyder in connection with Grillmair’s death, charging him with murder.

Steven Garcia, 48, who was last seen leaving his Albuquerque, New Mexico home in August 2025, has also been linked to the mysteriousness.

Surveillance footage captured the man on foot, carrying a handgun. He also left behind his wallet, phone, keys and cards.

The 48-year-old government contractor allegedly had ties to the Kansas City National Security Campus, which makes non-nuclear material components used for national defense systems.

Anthony Chavez, a 78-year-old who retired from his job at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, was reported missing in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in May 2025.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16249915/missing-dead-space-scientists-national-security-comer/

NEW details have emerged after police said a ninth child made a harrowing escape from the Louisiana massacre that left eight children dead.

The boy survived by jumping from the roof as gunfire tore through the house, though police said he suffered broken bones in the fall.

In Shreveport, Louisiana, cops said a woman also escaped through a roof window above the garage and called 911, while a third attempt to get out ended with a child being shot on the roof.

Police said the bloodshed unfolded before 6 am Sunday in a domestic attack across two homes.

By the time it ended, eight children were dead and two women had been shot and critically hurt.

Cops say the suspect was 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, the father of seven of the children killed.

Authorities said he acted alone and later died after fleeing the area and triggering a police chase.

Police said the first shooting happened on Harrison Street, where Elkins’ wife was shot.

He then went to a second home on West 79th Street, where the children and another woman were shot.

Most of the children were in the house when the gunman opened fire.

Police have said many of them were asleep when the shooting began.

Officers said all eight children who died were found at the same house.

One child was found dead on the roof after trying to escape.

The surviving boy was 13, police said.

He was not shot, but was hurt when he jumped from the roof to get away and later taken to a hospital.

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said the first 911 call came in at 5:55am.

The caller told dispatch they were on the roof and that someone inside the house had a gun and was shooting.

A few minutes later, another call said the woman and her children had made it off the roof and were now in the backyard.

The children killed were identified as Jayla Elkins, 3, Shayla Elkins, 5, Kayla Pugh, 6, Layla Pugh, 7, Markaydon Pugh, 10, Sariahh Snow, 11, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Braylon Snow, 5.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16249853/shreveport-louisiana-shooting-ninth-victim-harrowing-escape/

Officials in Japan have warned of an increased risk of a “huge” earthquake in the next week after a 7.7 magnitude quake struck off the north-east coast, triggering an evacuation order and warnings of 3m (10ft) tsunami waves.

Thousands of people were told to leave coastal areas for higher ground after the quake in waters off Iwate prefecture, 530km (330 miles) north of the capital Tokyo.

The biggest tsunami waves measured 80cm. Tsunami warnings and advisories were lifted hours after the quake on Monday.

But Japan’s meteorological agency has warned that quakes “causing even stronger shaking” could occur in the next week, producing bigger waves.

Authorities said the risk of a quake measuring 8.0 magnitude or higher was “relatively higher than during normal times”.

People in Japan are still scarred by memories of a huge quake in 2011 that triggered a tsunami which killed more than 18,000 people and caused a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

After Monday’s undersea quake, recorded at a depth of 10km, warnings of possible bigger waves were issued to residents in areas nearest the epicentre – in Japan’s main island, Honshu, and the northern region of Hokkaido.

Tremors were felt as far away as Tokyo.

In Hokkaido tsunami alerts remained in place hours after the quake struck at 16:52 local time (08:52 BST).

“As soon as we heard the earthquake alert, everyone ran downstairs,” Chaw Su Thwe, a Myanmar national living in Hokkaido, told the BBC. “However, this time the shaking was relatively mild.

“Right now, local authorities are using loudspeakers in the neighbourhood to warn people about a possible tsunami and to stay alert,” she added. “Office workers have been allowed to leave work early.”

A number of bullet trains were affected, and 100 homes were without power, Japan’s Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters. He said there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.

Train services resumed on Monday night.

More than 170,000 people across several prefectures were ordered to evacuate after tsunami warnings were issued across parts of Japan’s east coast.

The warning was the second-highest of three levels of alert, with people being told to leave coastal and riverside areas and move to higher ground or an evacuation building.

“Tsunami waves are expected to hit repeatedly. Do not leave safe ground until the warning is lifted,” Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) told reporters in the hours after the quake – a plea echoed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who urged people to get to “higher, safer places”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czd7m7d699do

As large language models take over more and more cognitive tasks, researchers are warning this mental outsourcing comes with a cost.

When research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna was looking for interns, she noticed that cover letters she received were suspiciously similar. They were long, polished and after introductions would often jump to an abstract and arbitrary connection to her work.

It was obvious to her that applicants were using large language models (LLMs) – a form of artificial intelligence that powers chatbots such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Claude – to write the letters.

At the same time, during lessons on campus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Kosmyna, who studies the interaction between humans and computers, noticed that numerous students were forgetting content more easily compared to a few years ago.

With the increasing reliance on LLMs, she had a hunch that this could be affecting her students’ cognition and sought to understand more.

The concern that researchers like Kosmyna have is that if we become too reliant on AI, it could affect the language we use and even our ability to do basic cognitive tasks. There is now a growing body of research suggesting that this “cognitive offloading” to AI can have a corrosive effect on our mental abilities. The consequences could be alarming and may even contribute to cognitive decline.

It’s well known that the tools we use can change how we think. With the advent of the internet for instance, tasks that once required deep research could be found by plugging a simple query into a search box. As the use of search engines increased, research found we became less likely to remember details, something dubbed “the Google effect”. (Some argue, however, the internet also serves as an external memory system that frees up our brain to do other tasks.)

But there is now growing alarm that as we offload even more of our thinking to LLMs and other forms of AI, the effects on our memories and ability to solve problems could get worse. Artificial intelligence tools can write convincing poetry, give financial advice and provide companionship. Students are increasingly outsourcing their own work to AI tools as well.

Studies have already shown that young people might be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects that using AI can have on key cognitive skills like critical thinking. Kosmyna, however, wanted to dig deeper into the potential effects.

Reduced mental effort

She and her colleagues at MIT Media Lab recruited 54 students to write short essays and split them into three groups. One was instructed to use ChatGPT. A second could use Google search, with AI-generated summaries turned off. The third didn’t use technology. Each student’s brainwaves were measured while they worked.

The essay topics were deliberately open-ended, meaning little research was needed for the task, with prompts including questions around loyalty, happiness or our daily life choices.

The results haven’t been published in a scientific journal yet, but they were none-the-less eye-opening, according to Kosmyna. Those who used their own minds had a brain that was “on fire”, showing widespread activity across many parts of the brain, she says. The search engine-only group still showed strong activity in the visual parts of the brain, but the ChatGPT group showed notably less brain activity – it was reduced by up to 55%.

“The brain didn’t fall asleep, but there was much less activation in the areas corresponding to creativity and to processing information,” says Kosmyna.

ChatGPT also affected people’s memories. After submitting their essays, people in the AI group were unable to quote from their essays, and several felt they had no ownership over the work. Other studies have also shown that people become less able to retain and recall information when they use AI tools such as ChatGPT.

While the findings are still undergoing peer review, they echo those from other studies. One study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that some people undergo something they term “cognitive surrender” when using generative AI chatbots. This means they tend to accept what the AI tells them with minimal scrutiny and even allow it to override their own intuition.

Similar effects can be found outside the world of AI chatbots too – even in life-or-death situations. A recent multinational study team found that medical professionals who used an AI tool to screen for colon cancer for three months were subsequently worse at spotting the tumours without it.

Outsourcing work to AI also risks losing much of the creativity that produces original work, warns Kosmyna. The essays that students in her study wrote with ChatGPT looked very similar and were described by the teachers marking them as “soulless”, lacking originality and depth, Kosmyna says. “One of the teachers asked if students were sitting next to each other because the essays were so similar.”

While studies such as these illustrate the short-term effects LLMs can have on the brain, the long-term impacts are far less clear. The study by Kosmyna and her colleagues provides a glimpse. Four months after the initial study they asked the students to write another essay, but this time those who had used ChatGPT were told to work without LLM support. The neural connectivity in their brains was lower than those who switched the opposite way, perhaps indicating that they had not engaged with the topics properly in the first place.

Cognitive decline

Yet, LLMs can be a positive tool to aid thinking, but only if we don’t rely on them by outsourcing our mental tasks in the process, says computational neuroscientist Vivienne Ming, author of Robot Proof. She’s concerned though that this is not how most people interact with this technology.

Her reasoning comes from research she conducted for her book, during which Ming asked a group of students at the University of Berkeley to predict real-world outcomes, such as the price of oil. She found that the majority of participants simply asked AI and copied the answer.

She measured their brains’ gamma wave activity – a marker of cognitive effort – finding it showed very little activation. Again her research is yet to published, but Ming worries that if her findings are borne out in further studies it could have long-term implications. Other research, for example, has linked weak gamma wave activity to cognitive decline later in life.

“That’s really worrying,” Ming says. “If that is a natural mode for people to interact with these systems – and these are smart kids – that’s bad.” Deep thinking, she says, is our superpower. “If we don’t use it, the long-term implications for cognitive health are pretty strong.”

That’s because when we rely on LLMs it requires very little cognitive effort, Ming adds, which is exactly what’s needed for a healthy brain.

A small subset of participants though – less than 10% – worked differently and used AI as a tool to gather data that they then analysed themselves. These individuals made more accurate predictions than others participants and showed stronger brain activation too.

Almost two decades ago, Ming predicted that within 20 to 30 years we would see a statistically meaningful rise in dementia rates directly related to our overreliance on Google Maps. “I meant it to be provocative,” Ming says. “If you don’t have to think about navigating then there’ll be some detectable effect.”

While we don’t have data on this exact prediction, the increased use of GPS has been linked to worse spatial memory over time, according to one study of 13 people conducted over three years. And poor spatial navigation may be a potential predictor of Alzheimer’s Disease, accordng to another study.

It’s clear that the more active our brain is, the more protected it is from cognitive decline. LLMs then, Ming says, could not only reduce creativity but could harm cognition and potentially increase the risk of dementia.

As AI tool use increases, we need to work with it in a way that benefits us rather than harms us. Ming suggests that ultimately, the goal could be a form of “hybrid intelligence” where humans and machines “do the hard stuff” together. By this she means we need to think first and use tools to challenge us later, rather than simply letting them answer questions for us. Kosmyna agrees and suggests learning subjects without AI tools first to build a foundation and then think about using LLMs.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260417-ai-chatbots-could-be-making-you-stupider

Russian authorities said one man was killed in a Ukrainian drone raid on city of Tuapse. Meanwhile, Russia arrested a German woman in an alleged bomb plot.

Sudan’s war has displaced millions, leaving parts of the country facing famine. Aid agencies warn children are bearing the brunt as food shortages worsen and humanitarian funding declines.

“The reality for children in Sudan is growing darker hour by hour,” Eva Hinds, spokeswoman for the UN’s children’s agency (UNICEF), said last week as the country’s civil war entered its fourth year.

The conflict broke out in April 2023 between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) following the collapse of a fragile transition to civilian rule after Sudan’s 2019 uprising.

Fighting has since spread across much of the country, devastating cities and displacing more than 13 million people, the World Health Organization reported.

More than 4,300 children have been killed or maimed since the war began, according to UNICEF, with Darfur and Kordofan states accounting for the highest numbers.

Ashan Abeywardena, emergency response manager at War Child, an organization working to ensure a safer future for every child caught up in war, said the conflict had had a severe impact on minors.

“Going through three years of conflict has had a massive impact on these children and women. Children’s daily lives are shaped by news of death and destruction,” Abeywardena told DW.

Many of the deaths and injuries have been caused by indiscriminate drone attacks — a weapon that is increasingly used by both sides in the conflict.

“Drones are killing and wounding girls and boys in their homes, in markets, on the roads, near schools and health facilities — all places that should never be targets,” UNICEF’s Hinds told reporters.

“In the first three months of this year, nearly 700 civilians were reportedly killed in drone strikes,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said.

Both the RSF and SAF have used drones to attack civilian infrastructure in a bid to slow the advance of their opponents. The effect is that hospitals, roads, and schools have been destroyed, further worsening the plight of the civilian population.

Humanitarian crisis spills over into East Africa

The effects of the war are being felt throughout East Africa.

DW Kenya correspondent Andrew Wasike said the conflict is no longer seen as contained within Sudan.

“In East Africa, the war is not just a distant conflict. It’s both a humanitarian catastrophe and a regional security problem,” Wasike said, adding that displacement, disrupted trade routes and political tensions are weighing on neighboring countries.

“The conversation is no longer only about Khartoum or Darfur. We are all feeling the impact,” he added.

Despite the scale of suffering, Sudan has struggled to remain a global priority. The United Nations’ top official in the country, Denise Brown, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said the crisis-ridden country has effectively been abandoned. She described widespread atrocities documented by the UN, including systematic sexual violence, sieges that have left whole communities facing famine, and mass killings.

She pointed to a particularly deadly episode last year, when thousands were reportedly killed within days during fighting in the city of el-Fasher.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/sudan-war-enters-fourth-year-as-child-hunger-crisis-deepens/a-76837481

News outlets in the US and around the world extensively cover the second administration of Donald Trump. Amid this flood of information on current events, film directors Demid Sheronkin and Can Dündar take a step back to assess the state of free speech and democracy in the US with their new DW documentary, “Democracy Under Attack: Can Dündar and Trump’s America,” which premiered on April 14 at the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin.

Dündar, a Turkish journalist and writer now living in exile in Berlin, pointed out at the film’s premiere that as they developed the project, they faced the challenge of finding an angle that could withstand Trump’s turbocharged news cycle.

“We decided to focus on the situation of the academics, as a kind of microcosm reflecting the attacks on democracy,” he explained.

Scholar faced death threats, doxxing and airport interrogations

Mark Bray, one of the university professors interviewed in the documentary, is among the most high-profile cases of academics targeted by the far right.

As the author of the book “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” the Rutgers University history professor was added to an online list of academics known as the “Professor Watchlist,” launched in 2016 by the far-right organization Turning Point USA.

After the assassination of the organization’s founder Charlie Kirk in September 2025, Trump signed an executive order designating the antifa movement as a “domestic terrorist organization.” From then on, death threats intensified against Bray, as students from the Turning Point USA chapter of his university denounced him for promoting political violence.

When Bray’s home address started circulating in his harassers’ emails, the scholar — who does not define himself as a member of the highly decentralized antifa movement — decided to uproot his family and relocate to Spain.

In the documentary, Bray and his wife describe the disturbing obstacles they faced before being finally able to leave the country — including their flight reservations to Spain being mysteriously canceled without them being informed.

AmericaFest: A surreal ideological battleground

The most intense scenes in the documentary were shot at AmericaFest 2025, the first of Turning Point USA’s annual conventions to be held after Kirk’s death. The 30,000 attendees celebrated him like a martyr.

DW filmmaker Demid Sheronkin was unsettled by the event’s surreal atmosphere. “It felt like a blend of political rally and Christian service — a battleground and a festival.”

The documentary shows conservative speakers stirring up the MAGA crowd with one fiery speech after the other. “We are at war,” said former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. “We are in a political and ideological war.”

Ava Kwan, the Rutgers University student who petitioned to have Bray removed from his position, was also celebrated on stage like a star. Interviewed in the DW documentary, she said her initiative aimed to ensure the students’ safety. While she said she felt sorry Bray had to face death threats, she didn’t feel responsible for them, adding that she too ended up having her private information doxxed online.

But beyond the loaded atmosphere at the AmericaFest convention, the ideological divide can be felt everywhere in the country. Even though research shows that academics generally have more liberal leanings than the general public, the film offers a reminder that voices representing the far-right extreme of the political spectrum also exist among scholars.

Amy Wax, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, shares her white supremacist views in an interview in the documentary. Due to controversial statements, Wax was suspended at half pay and removed from teaching for the 2025-26 school year, but she did not lose her tenure.

Drawing lessons from firsthand oppression experience in Turkey

As the host of the film, Can Dündar draws lessons from the oppression he has experienced firsthand in his home country.

The Turkish investigative journalist became a global symbol of press freedom after being imprisoned for his reporting. He survived an assassination attempt and was ultimately forced into exile from his home country, landing in Berlin in 2016.

Considered a fugitive by Turkish authorities, Dündar did not travel to the US for the documentary project, following the advice of his lawyers. “I didn’t want to become a good gift of Trump to Erdogan,” he noted.

But Dündar did travel to Canada for another interview. Even there, authorities interrogated him for several hours upon his arrival, due to his “terrorist” label. In Toronto, he met another expert on fascism who decided to flee Trump’s America, Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley.

Stanley, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, is very pessimistic in his assessment of the situation: “The US is not in a temporary crisis. The US is over as a project.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/attacks-on-us-academics-a-microcosm-of-a-larger-threat-to-democracy/a-76777273

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday she would demand explanations over what U.S. and Mexican officials were doing in northern Chihuahua when they died in an accident over the weekend, noting that any joint collaborations between the local government and the U.S. without federal permission would be a violation of Mexican law.

The crash, following an operation to destroy a clandestine drug lab in a rural area, has reignited a debate over the extent of U.S. involvement in Mexican security operations. Speculation was only fueled by Sheinbaum, local officials and the U.S. Embassy appearing to contradict each other and at times themselves, and offering sparse details about the U.S. officials who died.

“It was not an operation that the security cabinet was aware of,” Sheinbaum told journalists. “We were not informed; it was a decision by the Chihuahua government.”

It comes at a key moment for the relationship between the two neighboring nations as Mexico faces escalating pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump crack down on cartels and Sheinbaum underscores Mexico’s sovereignty.

Sheinbaum said her government would investigate the incident to ensure no laws were broken after the deaths on Sunday, adding that state governments must have authorization from Mexico’s federal government to collaborate with U.S. and other foreign entities “as established by the Constitution.”

A mountainside car crash

Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui said Sunday the officials died while returning from the operation to destroy labs of criminal groups. They were driving in the middle of the night through rugged mountain territory connecting Chihuahua to the state of Sinaloa, when the truck “appears to have skidded at some point and fell into a ravine, exploding.”

He said the four who died were two local Mexican investigative officials and two U.S. Embassy instructors who were participating in routine “training work.”

The U.S. Embassy on Monday declined to identify who the U.S. officials were or which entity of the U.S. government they worked for, but said the officials were “supporting Chihuahua state authorities’ efforts to combat cartel operations.” U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson expressed his condolences on social media but he and other officials provided few details of the incident.

Jáuregui said that the operation came following months of investigation by state prosecutors and Mexico’s federal military, indicating there was at least some level of involvement in the operation from Sheinbaum’s security forces. Hours later, the Mexican Security Cabinet confirmed that the army and state prosecutor’s office carried out a joint operation over the weekend in Chihuahua dismantling drug labs in the same location, Morelos.

After locating the labs using drones, officials found tons of material to manufacture drugs but no people, who were likely alerted beforehand and fled, the prosecutor added.

The local official later backtracked and clarified to press that there “were no U.S. agents in the operation to secure the narco-lab,” and said the embassy officials joined the group after the operation and were several hours away from where the action took place.

A resurfaced debate

Sheinbaum said her government would provide more information when it has more details, but insisted Monday that “there are no joint operations on land or in the air” in Mexico. She said there is only sharing of information between her government and the U.S., carried out within a “well-established” legal framework.

While U.S. officials’ training of Mexican security forces is common, their presence on Mexican territory has been the subject of ongoing debate, which has intensified after Trump’s military actions in Venezuela and Iran.

Trump has repeatedly offered to take action on Mexican cartels, intervention which Sheinbaum has said was “unnecessary. ” The Trump administration has already launched joint military operations in Ecuador, a country that has been roiled by violence by drug gangs in recent years.

Last year, Sheinbaum said the U.S. had conducted surveillance drone flights at Mexico’s request after a series of conflicting public statements on the issue, also sparking alarm among observers.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/mexico-sheinbaum-chihuahua-us-officials-deaths-646664d05452ddbad7b39b9d480fd46e

An armed man standing atop one of the historic Teotihuacan pyramids opened fire on tourists Monday, killing one Canadian and leaving at least 13 people injured at the archaeological site north of Mexico’s capital, authorities said.

The shooter was identified as 27-year-old Julio Cesar Jasso of Mexico, a state official told the AP on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak about the case. Jasso later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said, and security officials found a gun, a knife and ammunition. Jasso was the sole assailant in the attack, the State of Mexico government confirmed on Monday night.

The local government said seven people were wounded by gunshots. How the other people were injured was not disclosed, but a number of people fell when shooting started, some while climbing on the pyramids.

Those taken to hospitals for treatment were six Americans, three Colombians, one Russian, two Brazilians and one Canadian, the local government said. The youngest person who was injured was 6; the oldest was 61, Mexican authorities said.

Video and photos published by local media showed a man, later identified as Jasso, standing with a gun on top of a pyramid while people ducked for cover. A number of gunshots rang out in the videos.

The Teotihuacan pyramids, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a series of massive structures on the outskirts of Mexico City built by three different ancient civilizations. As one of Mexico’s most important touristic destinations, the site drew more than 1.8 million international visitors last year, according to government figures.

The shooting took place shortly after 11:30 a.m. when dozens of tourists were at the top of the Pyramid of the Moon. The standing on the structure’s platform began firing upward, according to a tour guide who was at the scene and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

“Some people, because they were scared … threw themselves face down on the ground, and the rest of us started to go down,” the guide said, recounting how the shooter, upon seeing the tourists descending the pyramid’s steps, began firing.

Another group of visitors lay motionless on the pyramid’s platform to avoid being targeted by the shooter, who authorities have not yet identified.

Brenda Lee, of Vancouver, British Columbia, said she was waiting to buy a souvenir when she and others in her group thought they heard firecrackers.

“Before we knew it, someone said, ‘No, that’s gunfire, run,’ and we saw people coming off the top,” she told CTV News, one of Canada’s national television broadcasters.

“There were thousands of people there and there were a lot of gunshots that just kept coming,” Lee said.

The scene quickly turned chaotic as people tried to escape, Lee said.

“And then a fellow jumped,” she said. “It was someone trying to get away, and he dropped to the next level, but he fell on his back, and it was … it just was awful.”

In past years, staff at the archaeological site carried out security scans before people entered the area but have since stopped, one local guide noted.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/shooting-teotihuacuan-pyramid-canadian-killed-cfb0ee81bf45ab5df335a17363631296

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, the White House said Monday, after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.

Chavez-DeRemer is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave her post after Trump fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month.

In a statement posted on social media, Chavez-DeRemer praised Trump and wrote, “I am proud that we made significant progress in advancing President Trump’s mission to bridge the gap between business and labor and always put the American worker first.”

Unlike other recent Cabinet departures, Chavez-DeRemer’s exit was announced by a White House aide, not by the president on his social media account.

“Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving the Administration to take a position in the private sector,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said on the social media site X. “She has done a phenomenal job in her role by protecting American workers, enacting fair labor practices, and helping Americans gain additional skills to improve their lives.”

He said Keith Sonderling, the current deputy labor secretary, would become acting labor secretary in her place. The news outlet NOTUS was the first to report Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation.

Labor chief, family members faced multiple allegations

Chavez-DeRemer’s departure follows reports that began surfacing in January that she was under a series of investigations.

A New York Times report last Wednesday revealed that the Labor Department’s inspector general was reviewing material showing Chavez-DeRemer and her top aides and family members routinely sent personal messages and requests to young staff members.

Chavez-DeRemer’s husband and father exchanged text messages with young female staff members, according to the newspaper. Some of the staffers were instructed by the secretary and her former deputy chief of staff to “pay attention” to her family, people familiar with the investigation told the Times.

Those messages were uncovered as part of a broader investigation of Chavez-DeRemer’s leadership that began after the New York Post reported in January that a complaint filed with the Labor Department’s inspector general accused Chavez-DeRemer of a relationship with the subordinate.

She also faced allegations that she drank alcohol on the job and that she tasked aides to plan official trips for primarily personal reasons.

Late Monday, on her personal X account, Chavez-DeRemer posted, “The allegations against me, my family, and my team have been peddled by high-ranked deep state actors who have been coordinating with the one-sided news media and continue to undermine President Trump’s mission.”

Both the White House and the Labor Department initially said the reports of wrongdoing were baseless. But the official denials got less full-throated as more allegations emerged — and when Chavez-DeRemer might be out of a job became something of an open question in Washington.

At least four Labor Department officials have already been forced from their jobs as the investigation progressed, including Chavez-DeRemer’s former chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, as well as a member of her security detail, with whom she was accused of having the affair, The New York Times reported.

“I think the secretary demonstrated a lot of wisdom in resigning,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Monday after her departure was made public.

She enjoyed union support — rare for a Republican

Confirmed to Trump’s Cabinet on a 67-32 vote in March 2025, Chavez-DeRemer is a former House GOP lawmaker who had represented a swing district in Oregon. She enjoyed unusual support from unions as a Republican but lost reelection in November 2024.

In her single term in Congress, Chavez-DeRemer backed legislation that would make it easier to unionize on a federal level, as well as a separate bill aimed at protecting Social Security benefits for public-sector employees.

Some prominent labor unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, backed Chavez-DeRemer, who is a daughter of a Teamster, for Labor Secretary. Trump’s decision to pick her was viewed by some political observers as a way to appeal to voters who are members of or affiliated with labor organizations.

But other powerful labor leaders were skeptical when she was tapped for the job, unconvinced that Chavez-DeRemer would pursue a union-friendly agenda as a part of the incoming GOP administration. In her Senate confirmation hearing, some senators questioned whether she would be able to uphold that reputation in an administration that fired thousands of federal employees.

She was a key figure in Trump’s deregulatory push

Aside from reports of wrongdoing in recent months, Chavez-DeRemer had been one of Trump’s more lower-profile Cabinet picks, but took key steps to advance the administration’s deregulatory agenda during her tenure.

For instance, the Labor Department last year moved to rewrite or repeal more than 60 workplace regulations it saw as obsolete. The rollbacks included minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities, and rules governing exposure to harmful substances and safety procedures at mines. The effort drew condemnation from union leaders and workplace safety experts.

The proposed changes also included eliminating a requirement that employers provide adequate lighting for construction sites and seat belts for agriculture workers in most employer-provided transportation.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/lori-chavez-deremer-resigns-trump-cabinet-926a5d655890fe5ec348cbf959233481

Japan on Tuesday scrapped a ban on lethal weapons exports, a major change in its postwar pacifist policy as the country seeks to build up its arms industry amid worries over Chinese and North Korean aggression.

The approval by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet of the new guideline clears a final set of hurdles for many arms sales, including of a next-generation fighter jet and combat drones.

China criticized the change in policy, but it has been largely welcomed by Japanese defense partners like Australia and attracted interest from Southeast Asia and Europe.

Opponents say the change violates Japan’s pacifist constitution and will increase global tensions and threaten the safety of the Japanese people.

The new policy will “ensure safety for Japan and further contribute to the peace and stability in the region and the international society as the security environment around our country rapidly changes,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters. “The government will strategically promote defense equipment transfers to create a security environment that is desirable for Japan and to build up the industrial base that can support fighting resilience.”

Japan could start selling weapons like fighter jets, missiles and destroyers

Japan has long prohibited most arms exports under its post-World War II pacifist constitution. It has made recent changes because of rising global and regional tensions, but exports were limited to five areas: rescue, transport, alerts, surveillance and minesweeping.

The new guidelines scrap those limits and allows the export of equipment such as fighter jets, missiles and destroyers. That’s a major change from existing exports such as flak jackets, gas masks and civilian-use vehicles that Japan has sent to Ukraine and intelligence radars sold to the Philippines.

For now, such exports will be limited to 17 countries that have signed defense equipment and technology transfer agreements with Japan. They also must be approved by the National Security Council, and the government will monitor how the weapons are managed afterward.

In principle, Japan still will not export lethal weapons to countries that are at war.

Japan began to export some non-lethal military supplies in 2014, and in December 2023 it approved a change that would allow sales of dozens of lethal weapons and components that it manufactures under licenses from other countries back to the licensors, clearing the way for Japan to sell U.S.-designed Patriot missiles to America to make up for munitions that Washington sent to Ukraine.

The 2023 revision also paved the way for Japan to jointly develop a sixth-generation fighter jet with Britain and Italy, and for Japan’s biggest arms deal ever, which was formalized last week with Australia. It calls for Japan to deliver the first three of a $6.5 billion fleet of Japanese-designed frigates for the Australian navy and jointly build eight others in that country.

Japan aims to build up its arms industry

Japan’s domestic defense industry was long seen as a bad investment, limited to catering to only the Self-Defense Force and Defense Ministry. Dozens of former defense contractors have withdrawn from the market.

That is changing as Japan accelerates a buildup of its military and defense industry to play more offensive roles in the face of threats from China, North Korea and Russia.

The defense industry is one of 17 strategic areas targeted for growth under the Takaichi government. A growing number of major companies and startups are showing interest, especially in dual-use goods and drones.

The government also has increased funding for startups and academic research.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/japan-lethal-weapons-export-takaichi-767250e58084ea3d585ab736372deeac

Iran has rejected negotiations “under the shadow of threats,” with Ghalibaf accusing Trump of turning peace talks into a “table of surrender” amid US blockade.

Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has accused US President Donald Trump of attempting to pressure Tehran into submission, warning that Iran is prepared to escalate if negotiations are conducted “under the shadow of threats.”

His remarks, posted on X, come as uncertainty surrounds possible US-Iran peace talks expected to take place in Pakistan before the expiration of a fragile two-week ceasefire.

“Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table, in his own imagination, into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.

He added, “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”

According to Reuters, Iran is considering attending the proposed talks in Pakistan, though no final decision has been made.

A senior Iranian official was quoted as saying that Tehran is “positively reviewing” its participation, marking a shift from earlier positions that ruled out negotiations amid escalating tensions.

CEASEFIRE UNDER PRESSURE

The potential talks come as a two-week ceasefire in a conflict that has “killed thousands and roiled the global economy” approaches its expiry.

The truce, announced by Trump on April 7, is expected to end this week, with a Pakistani source indicating the deadline would fall at 8 pm ET on Wednesday, corresponding to midnight GMT or 3.30 am Thursday in Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said “continued violations of the ceasefire” by the United States pose a major obstacle to diplomacy, the report mentioned.

Araqchi conveyed Tehran’s position in a telephone call with Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, stressing that Iran has yet to determine its next steps.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also criticised Washington’s stance, saying “unconstructive and contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message. They seek Iran’s surrender.”

He added, “Iranians do not submit to force.”

BLOCKADE DISPUTE COMPLICATES DIPLOMACY

Reuters reported that a key sticking point in the negotiations is the US blockade of Iranian ports, which Tehran views as a violation of the ceasefire framework.

A Pakistani security source said mediator Field Marshal Asim Munir had conveyed to Trump that the blockade posed an obstacle to talks, with Trump promising to consider ending the measure.

Iran has meanwhile used its leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route that handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supply, as part of its negotiating position.

Shipping activity through the channel slowed significantly, with data showing only three crossings in a 12-hour period, contributing to a roughly 5 per cent increase in oil prices.

US SEIZURE OF IRANIAN VESSEL HEIGHTENS TENSIONS

Tensions escalated further after the US military said it had fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel heading toward Bandar Abbas following a standoff.

Reuters reported that the US Central Command released a video showing Marines descending from helicopters onto the ship.

Maritime security sources cited by Reuters said the vessel was believed to be carrying “dual-use items” that could potentially be used for military purposes.

Iran’s military condemned the interception as “armed piracy,” according to state media, and warned it was prepared to confront US forces but was constrained by the presence of civilians on board.

China, identified by Reuters as the main buyer of Iranian crude, expressed concern over the interception, with President Xi Jinping calling for ships to resume passage through the strait and urging a political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/iran-rejects-talks-under-threat-ghalibaf-trump-ceasefire-blockade-pakistan-peace-talks-strait-of-hormuz-tensions-ws-l-10046378.html

In the CENTCOM video, a US soldier is seen pointing a heavy-calibre machinegun at a vessel as the Americans give warnings on radio

The US Central Command, or CENTCOM, has shared a video showing a machine-gunner in a helicopter warning a cargo vessel to turn back from leaving or entering Iran’s ports, in a demonstration of how American forces have been enforcing the blockade amid the war with Iran.

Iran has also blocked the Strait of Hormuz after a brief window of calm, reigniting concerns over its immediate implications on global oil trade.

In the CENTCOM video, a US soldier is seen pointing a heavy-calibre machinegun at a vessel as the Americans give warnings on radio.

“This is United States Warship 115. You are entering an area of a military blockade. This blockade of Iranian ports will be enforced and applies to all vessels regardless of flag,” the video on the radio said.

“Any vessel with further intent to enter or exit an Iranian port will be subject to the right of visit and search in accordance with international law. If you attempt to run [from] the blockade we will compel compliance with force. Over.”

CENTCOM said US forces have made 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port as part of its military blockade of the waterway.

“Since the commencement of the blockade against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, US forces have directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port,” CENTCOM said.

Iran is also banking on the Strait of Hormuz as its main card in any peace negotiations with the US, but using the waterway as leverage is not without risk for the Islamic republic.

While causing global economic pain gives Iran negotiating leverage, it can’t escape the blowback entirely, with the US blockade halting oil exports worth tens of millions of dollars each day.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/video-us-chopper-points-machinegun-at-ship-near-iran-sends-warning-on-radio-11385197?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Donald Trump clarified that he is not under any “pressure” on making a deal with Iran, further adding to the uncertainty over the future of the war.

US President Donald Trump on Monday lashed out at the Democrats, alleging attempts to hurt Washington’s position amid the ongoing war with Iran. The Republican clarified in a Truth Social post that he is not under any “pressure” with respect to making a deal with Iran, even as the two-week ceasefire is set to expire soon.

In another post, he asserted that he was “winning the war by a lot” as he listed the big losses for Iran in the war. The US President also said that the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would continue until the a deal is finalised, which he said would happen “relatively quickly”.

“I read the Fake News saying that I am under “pressure” to make a Deal. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly!,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, further adding that time was not his adversary in this case.

He also said that the new deal being negotiated with Iran would be better than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the international Iran nuclear deal agreed upon earlier.

Trump lashes out at Democrats, ‘fake news’ media

Donald Trump defended his timeline of six weeks for the US conflict with Iran, saying it was “far faster” than other conflicts like World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, that lasted years.

He accused the Democrats of trying to “hurt the very strong position” the US currently holds in the ongoing war and said that he won’t be rushed into securing a deal that may not be so good.

He also hit out at Presidents before him for lacking the “Courage or Foresight” to do the needful with respect to Iran and said: “We’re in it, and it will be done RIGHT, and we won’t let the Weak and Pathetic Democrats, TRAITORS ALL, who for years have been talking about the Dangers of Iran, and that something has to be done, but now, since I’m the one doing it, belittle the accomplishments of our Military and the Trump Administration.”

Not just the Democrats, Trump also launched attacks on what he termed “anti-America fake news” media that were “rooting for Iran to win”. He listed some leading US publications and alleged that their reporting suggested that the US was losing.

“I’m winning a War, BY A LOT, things are going very well, our Military has been amazing,” Trump wrote, contradicting such reports.

Uncertainty as ceasefire deadline approaches

The future of the ongoing war remains uncertain, with the two-week ceasefire deadline set to end on Wednesday, April 22, and a lack of clarity on the fresh round of negotiations in Pakistan’s Islamabad.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/donald-trump-under-no-pressure-iran-us-deal-pakistan-talks-democrats-ceasefire-deadline-end-date-101776707447713.html

Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, following moves by Islamabad to end a U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports, ​a significant obstacle to Tehran rejoining peace efforts as the end of a two-week ceasefire approaches.
However, the official stressed that no decision had been made and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that “continued violations of ‌the ceasefire” by the U.S. are a major obstacle to continuing the diplomatic process.

Araqchi told his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in a telephone call that Iran, while taking all aspects of the matter into account, had yet to decide how to proceed further.
On Monday night, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused U.S. President Donald Trump on X of increasing pressure on Tehran through the blockade and ceasefire violations, saying Iran rejects negotiations under threat.
The two-week ceasefire in a conflict that has killed thousands and roiled the global economy, particularly energy markets, is set to expire this week.
It had appeared ​to be in jeopardy after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate.

In the Islamabad talks, Trump is eager for a deal that would ​help avoid another surge in oil prices and plunge in stock markets. Iran hopes to leverage its control of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping channel for global energy supplies, ⁠to get an agreement that prevents a resumption of the war, and allows financial relief from long-running sanctions and some breathing room for its nuclear program.
Adding to the uncertainty, Vice President JD Vance remained in the United States on Monday, a separate ​source told Reuters, denying reports he was already on his way to Pakistan for talks.
The unnamed senior Iranian official said Tehran was “positively reviewing” its participation, a shift from earlier statements ruling out attendance and pledging to retaliate for U.S. aggression.
The official said mediator ​Pakistan was making positive efforts to end the U.S. blockade and ensure Iran’s participation.

Trump announced the two-week ceasefire with Iran on April 7, and has not specified when precisely it ends.
A Pakistani source involved in the talks said it would expire at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, which would be midnight GMT or 3:30 a.m. Thursday in Iran.
Trump said on social media that he believed his administration’s nuclear deal with Iran would be better than a 2015 international agreement reached after years of negotiations under then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat.
Trump withdrew from that agreement – which had been ​vehemently opposed by congressional Republicans and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – in 2018, during his first term as president.
It was unclear what kind of agreement could be reached in just a few days of talks, but the Republican U.S. president predicted a ​quick result.
“I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly!” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

BLOCKADE POSES A PROBLEM

A Pakistani security source said Pakistani mediator Field Marshal Asim Munir had told Trump the blockade was an obstacle to talks, and ‌that Trump had ⁠promised to consider ending it.
The U.S. was hoping to start negotiations in Pakistan shortly before the ceasefire expires.
However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that “unconstructive & contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message; they seek Iran’s surrender.”
“Iranians do not submit to force,” he added on X.
The U.S. has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran lifted and then reimposed its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supply.
Oil prices rose around 5% as traders remained fearful that the ceasefire would collapse. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a virtual standstill with just three crossings in the space of 12 hours, according to shipping data.

U.S. MARINES BOARD IRANIAN VESSEL

The U.S. military said it had fired ​on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship headed towards Iran’s Bandar Abbas ​port on Sunday after a standoff. U.S. Central Command ⁠released video showing Marines descending ropes from helicopters onto the vessel.
The vessel is likely to have been carrying what Washington deems dual-use items that could be used by the military, maritime security sources said on Monday.
Iran’s military said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the U.S. of “armed piracy”, according to state media. They said they were ready to confront U.S. ​forces over the “blatant aggression”, but were constrained by the presence of crew members’ families on board.
China, the main buyer of Iranian crude, expressed concern over the “forced interception”, and Chinese President ​Xi Jinping called for ships to ⁠resume passage through the strait as normal and for the conflict to be resolved through political and diplomatic channels, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Trump warned on Sunday that the U.S. would destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if it rejected his terms, continuing a recent pattern of such threats.
Iran has said that if the United States were to attack its civilian infrastructure, it would strike power stations and desalination plants in its Gulf Arab neighbours.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/world-weighs-fate-mideast-ceasefire-after-us-seizes-iranian-cargo-ship-2026-04-20/

The U.S. ​Air Force secretary extended the life of the A-10 “Warthog” attack plane until 2030, ‌sparing the aging but beloved close air support aircraft that has played an important role in Iran from an earlier retirement deadline of 2026.
“We will EXTEND the A-10 ‘Warthog’ platform to 2030,” Air Force Secretary Troy ​Meink posted on social media, adding the move “preserves combat power as the Defense Industrial ​Base works to increase combat aircraft production.”

The decision is the latest chapter in ⁠a long-running battle over the fate of the plane, which first flew in 1976 ​and has been on the Pentagon’s chopping block for more than two decades. The A-10 has ​been used in the current conflict with Iran, according to U.S. Central Command. Its powerful nose-mounted guns have been used against Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports.
Some in the Air Force have ​long argued that the Warthog is too old, too slow and too expensive to maintain, ​and that retiring it would free up money for modernization priorities like development of hypersonic weapons. Critics have ‌warned ⁠that cutting the fleet without a suitable replacement would leave ground troops without adequate air support.

But the A-10 has proven almost impossible to kill, in large part because of its political staying power. The largest concentration of the fleet is based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in ​Tucson, Arizona, contributing to ​the local economy. The ⁠Air Force ranks among the region’s top employers. Arizona is a battleground state that has become increasingly influential in deciding U.S. presidential races.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-air-force-says-key-iran-warplane-a-10-warthog-will-live-2030-2026-04-20/

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a bid by parents to sue a public school district in Massachusetts over actions by teachers and officials to support the gender ​identity of students by not disclosing name or pronoun changes to parents without the child’s consent.
The justices turned away an appeal by ‌the parents of a student who had self-identified as “genderqueer” while attending a middle school in the Massachusetts town of Ludlow after a lower court threw out their lawsuit.

The plaintiffs claimed officials treated their child as nonbinary and hid this information from them in violation of their fundamental parental rights as protected by the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment promise of due process.
The case ​comes in the wake of a significant decision by the court on March 2 to block similar measures in California that could limit the sharing ​of information with parents about the gender identity of transgender public school students without the child’s permission.
Disputes over efforts to ⁠support and protect the privacy of transgender and gender non-conforming students are playing out across the United States. The court in 2024 turned away similar challenges ​in Wisconsin and Maryland.

The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, is also confronting escalating efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration and Republican-led states to restrict the rights of transgender ​people. In June 2025, the court upheld a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. In January, the court also appeared ready to uphold state laws banning transgender athletes from female sports teams, with a ruling still pending on that matter.
The Massachusetts parents, Stephen Foote and Marissa Silvestri, said in court papers that teachers and officials at Baird Middle School ​in Ludlow pushed “gender ideology” on children without the knowledge of parents. As a result, the plaintiffs said, their 11-year-old child, known as “B.F.,” began to question the ​student’s gender identity.

After asking teachers and staff to use a new name and pronoun, the student also asked school officials to continue to use the child’s original name and female ‌pronouns when ⁠communicating with the parents, according to court filings.
The child identified as genderqueer, meaning a person who does not follow binary gender male-female norms.
The parents sued the town, the Ludlow School Committee and certain officials, saying their actions undermined their 14th Amendment due process rights, which the Supreme Court has long held protects the fundamental right of parents to direct the care and upbringing of their children.
The parents said that “so-called gender transition” is harmful and that theirs is a moral objection, not a ​religious one. They are being represented ​at the Supreme Court by the ⁠Alliance Defending Freedom conservative Christian legal group.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-rejects-massachusetts-school-gender-identity-policy-challenge-2026-04-20/

MALICIOUS actors plotting to bring down governments and wreak havoc on the world need only a petri dish to spark devastation, experts fear.

The threat of an apocalyptic bioterrorism attack is growing – with insiders warning we are edging closer to a nightmare scenario where extremists could unleash “unnatural” pandemics.

This refers to disease outbreaks caused by the deliberate release of deadly pathogens – from weaponised strains of Ebola to the reintroduction of smallpox.

High-tech labs have given militant groups unprecedented power to open the floodgates of disease, insiders say.

Professor Richard Sullivan, a biosecurity expert and adviser to the World Health Organisation, warned that weak lab security and oversight makes infiltration the likeliest route for hostile agents.

He told The Sun: “There are two real possibilities for them. One is they steal material from a biological facility. And the other option is using human beings as a dispersal mechanism.

“Take somebody who has Ebola, they are a walking infected agent.

“Think about how easy transmission is. You could easily see terrorists taking somebody with an infection like this and marching them around an airport, for example.”

Such an outbreak would spark mass panic, shut borders and could even cripple economies within days.

Sullivan said: “It’s a hardcore terror tactic. There’s a reason the Russians use Polonium and Novichok. They could have just shot the person, but those agents create much more fear.

“The psychological, social, and economic impact of using a biological weapon over a conventional weapon is orders of magnitude greater.

“It’s much more frightening. You’ll get people’s attention. It has a wider impact.”

Members of the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo cult cultivated this fear to great effect with a deadly chemical terror attack on the Tokyo metro in 1995.

Ten perpetrators released sarin, a deadly nerve agent, on three trains and left 14 people dead and over 1,000 injured.

American Anthrax attacks in the early 2000s led to a wave of mass-hysteria.

These were particularly terrifying – as “dormant” spores contained within letters reactivated when they were inhaled, killing the recipient.

And while bioterrorism is the most chilling scenario, experts warn that a biocatastrophe of some kind is almost certainly on the cards in the near future.

Sullivan said there are three ways a devastating pandemic could begin – with natural outbreaks still the most likely.

He said: “The most likely would be a natural outbreak, what we call a zoonotic spillover.

“Because of conflict, massive movement of people, and the way humans are interacting, we are creating the conditions for those spillovers.”

Scientists refer to the unknown next threat as Disease X – a mystery virus potentially 20 times deadlier than Covid that is capable of spreading rapidly across the globe.

“We’ve seen it with SARS and coronaviruses, but there are others like Ebola or hemorrhagic fever, pretty nasty things,” Sullivan said.

The second major danger is an accidental leak from one of the thousands of high-security laboratories studying deadly diseases.

Sullivan warned: “There are laboratories all over the world and they are proliferating. Unless the governance and standard operating procedures are good, there could be an accidental leak.”

Multiple incidents have already been recorded.

Sullivan said: “If you just Google accidental laboratory leaks, you’ll see all over the place things have come out.

“They’ve turned into pretty nasty outbreaks.”

Meanwhile, the global expansion of high-risk laboratories is raising fresh concerns.

There are thousands of facilities handling dangerous pathogens – with the some studying viruses with high fatality rates and in some cases, no known cure.

These include Ebola, Nipah, Lassa fever and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever – all of which have the potential to be far deadlier than Covid.

While these labs are essential for developing vaccines and treatments, gaps in regulation remain a serious concern.

McIntyre warned that hidden accidents could allow outbreaks to spiral into global crises.

She said: “Enhanced pathogens of pandemic potential are a concern as they can easily cross international boundaries and cause epidemics or pandemics.”

Last January, the CIA claimed that the Covid outbreak was “more likely” to have leaked from a Chinese lab than to have come from animals.

The agency said that based on available information it is “more likely than a natural origin”.

The assessment came almost immediately after the CIA’s new director John Ratcliffe, appointed by Donald Trump, took charge.

Ratcliffe has been outspoken about his stance on the pandemic’s origins, favouring the lab leak theory and claiming Covid most likely came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

The lab is a 40-minute drive from Huanan Market where the first infections were reported.

In 2023, former FBI Director Christopher Wray told Fox News that the bureau’s assessment was that the pandemic’s origins are “most likely a potential lab incident.”

He added: “You are talking about a potential leak from a Chinese government-controlled lab.

“I will just make the observation that the Chinese government, it seems to me, has been doing its best to try to thwart and obfuscate the work that our US government and close foreign partners are doing.”

Epidemiologist Dr Raina McIntyre warned poor oversight makes it harder to determine whether bioleaks are natural or man-made, which only increases the danger of an outbreak.

She said: “A pathogen with a fatality rate of 30 to 50 per cent could massively depopulate the world with cascading effects on critical infrastructure and the ability of society to function.

“We saw a glimpse of this during Covid, with supermarket shelves empty and impacts on transport networks.

“We should be concerned, as high consequence pathogens may be an existential threat.”

Rapid advances in synthetic biology and genetic engineering are adding fuel to the fire.

To put the threat into context, the variola virus, which causes smallpox and has now been eradicated, could be recreated in a lab.

In the 20th century, smallpox killed around 500 million people, with roughly one in three infected individuals dying.

Although vaccines exist, experts fear hostile agents could engineer strains capable of evading immunity.

Sullivan said the threat of antimicrobial resistance – where antibiotics lose their effectiveness against bacteria – is the “big problem”.

“It’s super scary stuff and it’s only getting worse,” he added.

Known as “the silent pandemic”, around 40 million deaths are projected for drug-resistant infections.

It could prove to be an existential threat to the human race if paired with the deliberate release of a lethal pathogen.

Bioterrorists also have the potential to strike in more clandestine ways.

An example of this is the Rajneesh attack in 1984, where hundreds of people in Oregon fell ill with salmonella.

It was later discovered that members of the Rajneesh cult had sprinkled bacteria on salad bars in 10 restaurants across the region.

Their motive was to make the towns people sick so that they could control a local election.

Some 751 people were struck with stomach aches – with 45 hospitalised.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16243424/terrorists-weaponise-viruses-smallpox-ebola-biolabs-arms-race/

Meanwhile, Desmond Tan clinched both Best Actor and his 10th Top 10 popularity award, and Carrie Wong and Romeo Tan took home All-time Favourite Artiste trophies.

Emerald Hill, the follow-up to 2009’s The Little Nyonya and the hit drama of 2025, unsurprisingly won big at the Star Awards this year, taking six main awards including Best Drama and Best Original Song.

Leading lady Jesseca Liu took home her first Best Actress award for her role as the long-suffering Second Young Mistress in the drama, while other Emerald Hill actors Tyler Ten and Chen Liping were named Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. Child actress Ivory Chia also took home the Young Talent Award for her work in the show.

A tearful Liu likened her 22-year acting career to “riding a unicycle”, with falls and injuries along the way. In the end, she said, “I know this is not through my effort alone”.

In the Best Actor category, Desmond Tan beat out hot favourite Chen Hanwei, clinching the trophy for his work as troubled twin brothers in Devil Behind The Gate. Tan’s last Best Actor win was for 2018’s When Duty Calls.

Held on Sunday night (Apr 19) at the Mediacorp TV Theatre, the Star Awards 2026 took the theme “Born to Glow”, with a total of 19 awards given out.

Hosted by Guo Liang, Zhang Zetong and Cheryl Chou, the awards ceremony was graced by international guests including Hong Kong’s Bowie Lam, Julian Cheung and Ada Choi; Taiwan’s Kevin Tsai, Jasper Liu and Hsieh Ying-xuan; and Chinese actor Luo Yunxi, who performed a song on stage.

Guo Liang had his hands full as he also took home the Best Programme Host award for his on-stage skills at last year’s Star Awards ceremony, celebrating his second win in the category after being nominated “20 times, I think”. In his speech, he acknowledged the rise of artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry, telling his fellow artistes to “believe in yourselves. Even if AI comes for us, we have real vitality”.

It was a good night for the veteran host as he also clinched his 10th Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes award. He was joined by Ya Hui, Paige Chua and Desmond Tan, who also got their 10th popularity trophies, confirming their All-time Favourite Artiste status at next year’s awards ceremony.

Two All-time Favourite Artistes, Carrie Wong and Romeo Tan, were minted this year.

Wong, 32, became the youngest in Star Awards history to take home the All-time Favourite Artiste trophy, having won 10 Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes awards since she broke into showbiz at the age of 19. In her acceptance speech, she spoke about coming to an understanding of “real growth” and the importance of pressing on when she felt like giving up.

Tan, meanwhile, recalled his days of waiting in the wings for his big break. Because of that, simple affirmations like meeting “uncles who tell me I acted well” mean a lot to him, he said, adding: “I’d like to tell chubby little six-year-old me, who loved watching television, to go ahead and dream big.”

Young performers also received encouragement at the ceremony, with the Best Rising Star award going to Gladys Bay for her work in Under the Net, and Tyler Ten, Juin Teh and Zhang Zetong named Most Popular Rising Stars.

In the Top 10 Most Popular Artistes categories, first-time award winners were Hazelle Teo, who went on stage brandishing a hongbao from her mum; and a teary Nick Teo, who thanked his equally teary wife, Hong Ling. In addition, Ayden Sng, nominated for a popularity award for the first time, also clinched his first trophy.

Other award winners included The Breakfast Quartet for Best Radio Programme, Dennis Chew for Best Audio Personality and YES 933 Comedy Series for Best Short-form Entertainment Programme. And, in newly introduced category Best Microdrama, Woke Up In The 60s In My Grandma’s Apron starring Regine Lim and Raynold Tan took the top spot.

STAR AWARDS 2026 WINNERS LIST

Best Drama Serial: Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story

Best Actor: Desmond Tan (Devil Behind The Gate)

Best Actress: Jesseca Liu (Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story)

The US extended it’s waive on Russian oil sanctions as conflict in the Middle East has caused oil prices to rise world wide.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday (Apr 19) condemned the easing of sanctions on Russian oil after the United States extended a waiver meant to soften surging energy prices driven by the Middle East war.

“Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war” and the billions of dollars involved are used for devastating strikes on Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

He did not mention the United States, but President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday issued a month-long sanctions waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products that are at sea.

The action was intended to bring down soaring energy prices. But the US Treasury Department extension came two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Washington would not renew the waiver.

Zelenskyy said there were more than 110 tankers carrying Russian oil in breach of international sanctions currently at sea, carrying more than 12 million tonnes of crude “which, due to the easing of sanctions, can once again be sold without consequences.

“That is US$10 billion – a resource that is directly converted into new strikes against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukraine leader said that in the past week alone, Russia had launched more than 2,360 attack drones, more than 1,320 guided aerial bombs “and nearly 60 missiles of various types at our cities and communities”.

A 16-year-old boy was killed and four people wounded in one overnight attack on the northern city of Chernihiv, the head of the local administration said Sunday.

Zelenskyy said: “It is important that Russian tankers are stopped, not allowed to deliver oil to ports. The aggressor’s oil exports must decrease, and Ukraine’s long-range sanctions continue to work toward that goal.”

DEMOCRATS SLAM “SHAMEFUL” MOVE

Zelenskyy has a delicate relationship with Trump, who had a memorable blow-up with him in the Oval Office last year.

Ukraine needs US backing to fight off Russia, but has faced pressure from the Trump administration to sign off on a deal to end the more than four-year-old war triggered by Moscow’s invasion.

The US sanctions waiver allows for the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products that have been loaded onto any vessel as of Friday, through 12:01 am local time (0401 GMT) on May 16.

It extends an earlier easing of sanctions that expired on April 11.

Trump is keen to contain surging petrol prices ahead of key midterm elections this year.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/zelenskyy-slams-oil-sanctions-relief-russia-6066691

The fire ripped through makeshift homes in a “water village” in Malaysia’s Sabah ‌state ⁠on ⁠Borneo island. The area is home to some of the country’s poorest residents, including indigenous and stateless communities.

A massive fire destroyed some 1,000 makeshift homes in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island on Sunday, displacing their residents.

The fire erupted early on Sunday in a “water village” in Sandakan district in the northeast of Sabah.

The area is home to some of Malaysia’s poorest residents, including indigenous and stateless communities. They live in wooden stilt houses packed tightly next to each other.

What do we know about the fire?

Authorities were notified of the fire at around 01:32 a.m. (1732 GMT), according to the district’s fire and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung. Some 37 personnel were deployed from two stations to battle the blaze, the Sabah Fire and Rescue department said.

“Strong ​winds ‌and the close proximity of the houses caused the fire to spread rapidly, while low tide ‌conditions also made it difficult to obtain an ‌open ​water source,” Lagung said in a statement.

Sandakan police chief George Abd Rakman described the fire as a “very large-scale and heartbreaking incident” in statements carried by the local English daily The Star. He said it affected 9,007 residents.

Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim orders assistance to victims

The fire department estimated that a total of 10 acres were affected by the fire, as fire engines struggled to reach the impacted areas in time to put out the flames due to narrow access routes.

No injuries or deaths were reported, the fire department said, adding that there was “no more danger.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/malaysia-fire-in-impoverished-village-destroys-1000-homes/a-76847720

Bayern Munich are German league champions for a record-extending 35th time after beating Stuttgart 4-2. They have now won 13 of the past 14 Bundesliga titles.

Bayern Munich secured yet another Bundesliga title after beating Stuttgart 4-2 at home on Sunday.

Top scorer Harry Kane scored his 32nd goal of the season after coming on as a second-half substitute as the Bavarians won their 35th German league trophy.

“To finish the league off in ​the way we have with the goals we scored… credit to the lads… we still have a lot to ​play for… but all the hard work, this makes it all worth it,” said Kane.

Bayern Munich cruise to title

The win moved the Bavarian giants an unassailable 15 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund with four games to spare.

Germany captain Joshua Kimmich, who won his 10th league title with Bayern, called the victory “very special.”

“The way we did it, we were very consistent…and we haven’t achieved that form so often. I hope 10 more titles come on top of this,” he said.

The “Meisterschale” (“champions’ shield” in English) trophy is expected to be handed out after Bayern’s final game of the season at home to Cologne on May 16.

Another dominant campaign

Bayern have only suffered one defeat in the league this season, at home to fellow Bavarians Augsburg in January, and a league-low of four ties so far.

They have also scored 109 goals so far this season — another record.

Bayern already clinched the Super Cup in August, also against Stuttgart, and will take on Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/bayern-munich-clinch-35th-bundesliga-title/a-76849660

Five people were wounded in a mass shooting near the University of Iowa campus after a large brawl that broke out early Sunday, police confirmed — as they shared a photo of five “persons of interest” in the carnage.

“One victim is in critical condition and the other four victims are in stable condition,” Iowa City Public Safety wrote in a Facebook post Sunday afternoon.

The posting includes a picture of five young men, and cops are asking for the public’s help in finding and identifying them.

“Anyone with information on the people pictured here are asked to contact Detective Cade Burma at cburma@iowa-city.org or 319-356-5275.”

Police were responding to a fight at the Pedestrian Mall in Iowa City around 1:45 a.m. involving as many as 100 people when gunshots rang out.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/04/19/us-news/5-victims-confirmed-in-university-of-iowa-mass-shooting-as-cops-picture-persons-of-interest/

They weren’t taking any chances this time.

Back in 2023, Page Six reported that private club Casa Cipriani booted some members who snapped pictures of Taylor Swift on a date with then-beau Matty Healy at the Financial District spot.

But we’re told that when Swift came by on Friday, the club made sure there was no such problem with snap-happy members.

We hear that before the “Shake It Off” superstar arrived with fiancé Travis Kelce last week, some guests who were hanging out on the club’s terrace were told, without explanation, to put their phones in their pockets.

“They couldn’t even use them to check email,” said a spy. “No one knew why, though.”

But it all came into focus when Swift, Kelce and a group of friends arrived. And after all that, they didn’t even stay.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/04/19/entertainment/casa-cipriani-went-all-out-to-protect-taylor-swift-and-travis-kelce/?_gl=1*1vzps1a*_ga*MTg2NjYyMzM1MC4xNzczODEwMTg2*_ga_0DZ7LHF5PZ*czE3NzY2NTEyNTkkbzczJGcxJHQxNzc2NjUyMzgzJGoyJGwwJGgw

US President Donald Trump said there will be “no more Mr Nice Guy” if Iran doesn’t take the “very fair and reasonable deal”

US President Donald Trump has issued yet another threat today as Iran continued its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US naval blockade of the Islamic nation’s ports.

This time, Trump said there will be “no more Mr Nice Guy” if Iran doesn’t take the “very fair and reasonable deal”.

US and Iranian officials are scheduled to meet in Pakistan again tomorrow.

“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz – A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it? My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan – They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it. They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day! The United States loses nothing. In fact, many Ships are headed, right now, to the U.S., Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to load up, compliments of the IRGC, always wanting to be ‘the tough guy!’

“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!” Trump said in a long post on the platform owned by him.

The strategic Strait of Hormuz remained closed today with Iran’s parliament speaker signalling a final peace deal remained “far” off despite some movement in negotiations. As mediation efforts continued following high-level talks in Pakistan that failed to reach a deal, Iran said it will not allow the crucial maritime trade chokepoint to re-open until the US ends a blockade of Iranian ports.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address on Saturday night that there had been “progress” with Washington “but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain”. “We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf, one of Tehran’s negotiators in the talks aimed at ending the war launched by Israel and the US against the Islamic republic.

A two-week ceasefire is set to end on Wednesday unless it is renewed.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/no-more-mr-nice-guy-time-for-iran-killing-machine-to-end-trumps-latest-threat-11379455?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Shamim Mafi, 44, was charged by the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California with conducting arms transactions without legal authorisation

A permanent US resident of Iranian origin was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night on charges of brokering weapons deals on behalf of the Iranian government, according to a report by New York Post.

It said the deals allegedly included armed drones, bomb fuses, and ammunition destined for Sudan’s ongoing civil war.

Shamim Mafi, 44, was charged by the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California with conducting arms transactions without legal authorisation. The charges allege she used an Oman-registered front company called Atlas International Business to facilitate the deals as recently as 2025.

Among the transactions prosecutors cited is a contract worth over $70 million for Mohajer-6 armed drones, which are Iranian military-grade unmanned aircraft sourced from the Islamic nation’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics. The same network allegedly moved 55,000 bomb fuses to Sudan’s Ministry of Defence, which has been engaged in a civil war since 2023.

Prosecutors said she held no legal permission to oversee arms brokering of this kind.

Court filings stated that phone records showed Mafi was in direct contact with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security between December 2022 and June 2025.

Mafi left Iran in 2013 and got permanent US residency in 2016. She has denied to investigators that she was ever tasked by Tehran to conduct activities in the US on the regime’s behalf.

Prosecutors alleged that in 2020, Iranian authorities seized properties that Mafi had inherited from her father, after which Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence then told her to open a business in the US ostensibly to buy back those properties from the government. Tehran offered to cover the start-up costs, the prosecutors said.

Mafi allegedly told Iranian intelligence contacts that she considered herself more valuable to them operating outside Iran than within it.

The Mohajer-6 drone platform has appeared in multiple active conflict theatres in recent years, including in battles between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The arrest comes as US Vice President JD Vance will again lead a delegation for talks with Iran in Pakistan, news agency AFP reported.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iranian-origin-businesswoman-shamim-mafi-allegedly-made-arms-deal-for-tehran-arrested-in-us-11380136?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Kinahan, 48, is expected to face charges in Ireland connected to a long-running feud between the Kinahan cartel and the Hutch gang.

For years, he moved across borders, shifting base from Europe to the Gulf, staying a step ahead of investigators tracking one of Europe’s most powerful criminal networks. That run ended this week in Dubai.

Daniel Kinahan, widely described as the leader of the Kinahan cartel, was arrested on Wednesday in a joint operation involving Irish and United Arab Emirates authorities after a prolonged international manhunt.

Dubai Police confirmed the arrest of “an Irish fugitive” linked to organised crime, without naming him. Irish media later identified the individual as Daniel Kinahan.

Ireland’s police force, the Garda Siochana, said a man in his 40s had been detained under a warrant issued by Irish courts.

“An Garda Siochana has been steadfast in our determination that we would pursue those allegedly involved in serious Organised Criminal activity, wherever they go,” the force said in a statement.

Kinahan, 48, is expected to face charges in Ireland connected to a long-running feud between the Kinahan cartel and the Hutch gang, a conflict that has led to 18 killings since 2015.

Kinahan’s ability to avoid arrest for years was shaped by constant movement. He left Ireland following an attempted assassination at a boxing weigh-in event at Dublin’s Regency Hotel, where associate David Byrne was shot dead.

After that incident, Kinahan relocated first to Spain and later to the United Arab Emirates.

Authorities across multiple countries continued to track his activities, building cases linked to organised crime and international drug trafficking.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/years-on-the-run-how-europes-most-wanted-gang-leader-was-finally-tracked-11380512?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

The Israeli army said on Sunday that it was looking into the authenticity of an image circulating on social media that appears to show a soldier in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ with a hammer.

The Israeli army said on Sunday that it was looking into the authenticity of an image circulating on social media that appears to show a soldier in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ with a hammer.

Spokesman Nadav Shoshani said on X that the army “is currently examining the reliability of the photograph”.

“If this is indeed a real, recent picture, these actions do not align with the IDF’s values and the behavior expected of IDF soldiers. The incident will be investigated thoroughly and in depth, and if necessary, steps will be taken in accordance with the findings,” he added.

The image appears to show an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen off of a cross.

Arab media reports indicated that the statue was in the Christian village of Debl in south Lebanon, near the border with Israel.

The Debl municipality told AFP that the statue was located in the village, but could not confirm whether it had been damaged.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/israeli-army-probes-image-of-soldier-hitting-jesus-statue-in-lebanon-11380595?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

Iran has denied reports of fresh talks with the US in Islamabad, blaming Washington’s “unreasonable and unrealistic demands” and naval blockade for stalling progress.

Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, has rejected reports of a second round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Islamabad, stating that current conditions do not support meaningful diplomatic engagement and accusing the United States of pursuing a pressure campaign.

“The reports circulating about a second round of negotiations in Islamabad are false,” IRNA said, adding that Washington’s approach has complicated the prospects of dialogue.

“US excessive demands, unreasonable and unrealistic expectations, frequent shifts in positions, continuous contradictions, and the so-called naval blockade, which violates the ceasefire understanding along with threatening rhetoric, have so far hindered progress in the negotiations,” the agency reported.

It further said that “under these conditions, the outlook for constructive talks remains bleak,” while describing news published by the US as part of a “propaganda campaign” and a “blame game” aimed at pressuring Iran.

This comes just days before the expiry of a ceasefire linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict.

State broadcaster IRIB cited Iranian sources as saying “there are currently no plans to participate in the next round of Iran-US talks”, while the Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported that “the overall atmosphere cannot be assessed as very positive”, noting that lifting the US blockade remains a precondition for negotiations.

Only one round of discussions has taken place so far, a 21-hour session held in Islamabad on April 11, which ended without agreement, though groundwork for further talks continued afterwards.

BLOCKADE AND MARITIME INCIDENT ESCALATE TENSIONS

The impasse comes amid heightened tensions over the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

According to AFP, the issue intensified after a US destroyer fired on and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that attempted to evade the blockade.

US President Donald Trump said the vessel, Touska, was forced to stop after the destroyer acted “by blowing a hole in the engineroom,” adding that “Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel.” He said the ship was under US Treasury sanctions “because of prior history of illegal activity.”

Iran strongly criticised the incident.

The ISNA news agency quoted a spokesperson for Iran’s central command centre as saying the armed forces of the Islamic Republic “will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy and the US military.”

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the blockade as “a violation” of the ceasefire and “illegal collective punishment of the Iranian people.”

FRAMEWORK NEEDED BEFORE FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS

Reuters reported on April 18 that Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said no date has been set for the next round of talks, emphasising that both sides must first finalise a framework of understanding.

“We are now focusing on finalising the framework of understanding between two sides. We don’t want to enter into any negotiation or meeting which is doomed to fail and which can be a pretext for another round of escalation,” Khatibzadeh said on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Antalya.

He said there had been “significant progress” in earlier discussions but criticised what he described as a “maximalist approach” from the US side regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.

“I have to be very crystal clear that Iran would not accept being an exception from international law. Anything that we are going to be committed to will be within the international regulations and international law,” he said.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/iran-denies-islamabad-talks-blames-us-unreasonable-demands-naval-blockade-for-deadlock-ws-l-10044485.html

UAE debate grows over US military bases after alleged Iranian strikes, commentator Abdulkhaleq Abdulla urges closing bases and focusing on advanced weapons and self defense.

Is this a US-UAE fallout after the Iran war? Following recent tensions in West Asia involving the United States, Israel and Iran, a debate has emerged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the presence of American military bases in the Gulf nation. The discussion gathered momentum after Iranian attacks on sites linked to the US in the UAE. UAE commentator Abdulkhaleq Abdulla has argued that American military facilities are no longer “strategic assets” for the country.

UAE Commentator Abdulkhaleq Abdulla said, “Now the time has come to consider closing US military bases, these bases are no longer strategic assets, but have become a burden.”

In a post on X, he said the UAE has shown it can defend itself during recent Iranian aggression. He added that the country does not need the US for protection in the way it once did.

“This is what I told Reuters today: The UAE no longer needs America to defend it, as it has proven during the Iranian aggression that it is capable of defending itself with distinction,” he said. He also noted that while the UAE may still seek advanced weapons from the US, the presence of military bases is no longer necessary.

Abdulla stressed that the UAE’s priority should be acquiring modern and advanced military equipment rather than hosting foreign bases. He said the country should focus on strengthening its own defence systems using the best technology available. According to him, this approach would better serve national security needs.

Iran attacks US-linked sites in UAE

The debate comes after Iran claimed it had carried out strikes on US-linked military sites in the UAE during the recent escalation in the region. According to these claims, a US command site near Al Minhad was targeted, and Iran also alleged heavy casualties among US personnel. However, these claims have not been independently confirmed by the United States.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/uae-no-longer-needs-america-uae-commenter-calls-to-close-us-bases-in-the-gulf-country-ws-l-10044493.html

Iran and US resume Islamabad talks to end war, Iran says they are far from a final deal, disputes persist over uranium stockpiles, enrichment limits and Strait of Hormuz reopening.

A day ahead of the peace talks in Islamabad, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that Washington and Tehran “are far from a final agreement”.

On Monday, the US and Iran will hold a second round of talks to work out a way to end the war. However, a confusion remains on whether US Vice President JD Vance would be part of the delegation.

The first round of talks, held on April 11-12 in Islamabad, had failed after over 20 hours of talks.

Meanwhile, Iran’s parliament speaker has cast doubts over the result of Monday’s talks. “On some issues, conclusions have been reached in the negotiations, and on others not; we are still far from a final agreement,” Ghalibaf said.

On Saturday, Iran announced that it would close the Strait of Hormuz again citing “repeated breaches of trust” as the US maintained a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Previously, Iran had pushed for ships to pay a fee for secure transfer across the waterway. “We have not destroyed the enemy—they still possess money and weapons—but strategically, they have been defeated in the face of us,” he said.

Three Key Issues Between US And Iran

Fate of Iran’s uranium stockpiles: The US President had suggested that Iran has agreed to ship its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US. However, a senior Iranian official rejected the claim and said the demand was a “non-starter”.

According to CNN, Iran has about 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium and Tehran has asked for major sanctions relief and unfreezing of assets north of $20 billion.

Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might not hold after the U.S. said ​it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate.
Efforts to build a more lasting peace ‌in the region likewise appeared to be on shaky ground, as Iran said it would not participate in a second round of negotiations that the U.S. had hoped to kick off before the ceasefire expires on Tuesday.

The U.S. has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then reimposed its own blockade on marine traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles ​roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
The U.S. military said Sunday it fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship as the vessel sailed toward Iran’s Bandar ​Abbas port. “We have full custody of their ship, and are seeing what’s on board!” President Trump wrote on social media.
Iran’s military said ⁠the ship had been traveling from China. “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by ​the U.S. military,” a military spokesperson said, according to state media.

Oil prices jumped and stock markets wobbled, as traders pondered the prospect that traffic in and out of the Gulf ​would remain at a bare minimum.

IRAN REJECTS PEACE TALKS

Iranian state media reported that Tehran had rejected new peace talks, citing the ongoing blockade, threatening rhetoric, and Washington’s shifting positions and “excessive demands.”
“One cannot restrict Iran’s oil exports while expecting free security for others,” Iran’s First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref wrote on social media. “The choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of ​significant costs for everyone.”
Trump earlier warned Iran that the U.S. would destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if Tehran rejected his terms, continuing a recent pattern ​of such threats.

Iran has said that if the United States were to attack its civilian infrastructure it would hit power stations and desalination plants of Gulf Arab neighbors.

PREPARING FOR TALKS THAT MIGHT ‌NOT HAPPEN

Trump ⁠said his envoys would arrive in Islamabad on Monday evening, one day before a two-week ceasefire ends.
A White House official told Reuters the U.S. delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance, who led the war’s first peace talks a week ago, and also include Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. But Trump told ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not go.
Pakistan, which has served as the main mediator, appeared to be preparing for the talks. Two giant U.S. C-17 cargo planes landed at ​an air base on Sunday afternoon, carrying ​security equipment and vehicles in preparation for ⁠the U.S. delegation’s arrival, two Pakistani security sources said.
Municipal authorities in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad halted public transport and heavy-goods traffic through the city. Barbed wire was rolled out near the Serena Hotel, where last week’s talks were held. The hotel told ​all guests to leave.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/world-weighs-fate-mideast-ceasefire-after-us-seizes-iranian-cargo-ship-2026-04-20/

Europe must have its own defense system against ballistic weapons, and Ukraine is already holding talks ​with several countries on its creation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr ‌Zelenskiy said on Sunday.
Defense against ballistic missiles is one of Ukraine’s biggest challenges in the war with Russia, since only certain ​types of missiles used by the American Patriot system ​are capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.

Russia uses ⁠ballistic missiles to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, destroying thermal ​power generation and electricity transmission systems.
“I believe, and my idea ​is that we should have a European anti-ballistic missile defense system. We are in talks with several countries and are working in ​this direction,” Zelenskiy told the national TV channel, Marathon.
“We ​need to build our own anti-ballistic missile defense system within a year,” ‌he ⁠added.
Zelenskiy said the task is extremely difficult but realistic, and added that he had already discussed it with key European countries, though he did not name them.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/ukraine-pushes-europe-build-defense-system-against-ballistic-weapons-2026-04-19/

A gunman killed seven of his ‌children and an eighth minor in a domestic violence incident on Sunday in Shreveport, Louisiana, before police fatally shot him during a vehicle chase, authorities said.
Seven bodies were found inside the house where the shooting occurred, while the eighth youth died attempting a rooftop escape, Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Christopher ​Bordelon told TV station KTBS. One crime scene was “incredibly gruesome”, Bordelon told KTBS.

Preliminary information indicated the suspect first shot a woman and ​then went to a nearby home where he killed the children, according to a Facebook post ⁠from the Shreveport police. The children’s ages ranged from about 1 to 14, police said.
Two women were being treated at a ​hospital for serious injuries, the post said.
The suspect and one woman who was shot were the parents of seven of the children, ​Bordelon told TV station KSLA. One woman sustained life-threatening injuries, and multiple families were affected, he told KSLA. The shooting started after 6 a.m. (1100 GMT) on Sunday, he told reporters.

Police identified the suspect as Shamar Elkins, according to Leigh Anne Evensky, director of communications for the Shreveport mayor’s office.
The suspect carjacked a ​vehicle after the shootings and was killed when police fired at the vehicle during a chase that went into neighboring Bossier ​Parish, Bordelon said. Louisiana State Police are investigating the shooting of the suspect, spokesperson Kate Stegall said.
“This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic ‌situation we’ve ⁠ever had,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said.

A comprehensive domestic violence center is being established by the Caddo Parish sheriff, which the mayor’s office is working to support, Arceneaux later told Reuters.

SHOOTER’S MOTIVE UNCLEAR

At a news conference, Louisiana state Senator Sam Jenkins, whose district includes much of Shreveport, said the shooting underscores the need for more resources to combat domestic violence.

“If we have someone with a history ​of domestic violence, let’s make ​sure that those resources, that ⁠intervention is there on a continuous and consistent basis, hopefully to avoid what we’ve seen here today,” Jenkins said.
Reuters was unable to immediately determine whether Elkins had such a history. Police were working to ​determine the motive, Bordelon told KSLA.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/eight-children-killed-louisiana-mass-shooting-media-reports-say-2026-04-19/

Tesla is rolling out its robotaxis in Dallas and Houston, the electric vehicle maker said on Saturday, marking further expansion of its nascent service in the United States since its Austin, Texas, launch last year.

Tesla’s official robotaxi account on X announced the launch and posted two videos showing its best-selling Model Y SUVs running in the two cities with no human driver or monitor in the front seats.

It posted two map images outlining service boundaries, but did not disclose further details such as fleet size or pricing.

“Try Tesla Robotaxi in Dallas & Houston!” CEO Elon Musk said reposting the X post.

Tesla’s move comes as the robotaxi business has regained momentum with Alphabet’s Waymo and Amazon’s Zoox speeding up expansion.

Expanding the robotaxi service and wider adoption of its full self-driving software, a version of which underpins the technology, is key to Tesla’s growth strategy as Musk has pivoted the company’s focus to artificial intelligence and robotics from EVs.

Much of the company’s $1.3 trillion valuation hinges on that bet.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/tesla-expands-robotaxi-service-dallas-houston-6065716

President Donald Trump has warned Iran not to “blackmail” the US by shutting the Strait of Hormuz once again. Meanwhile, Tehran has slammed Washington’s “maximalist” positions.

Iran’s sudden Hormuz reversal: What it signals now

Tehran has reimposed its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying it would reopen the critical waterway.

DW asked Middle East expert Simon Mabon what this says about Iran’s strategic calculations.

A new film about Michael Jackson’s extraordinary but troubled life is set to open in cinemas. It’s tracking to be very popular – but will it tell the full story?

Bohemian Rhapsody was a troubled production, to put it mildly. The original star, Sacha Baron Cohen, departed and the original director Bryan Singer was fired. But the biopic of Freddie Mercury and Queen went on to make more than $900m (£660m) at the box office and win four Oscars.

Given that success, it seemed logical when the producer of Bohemian Rhapsody, Graham King, revealed in 2019 that he would be making another biopic of a music megastar: Michael Jackson. In short, King was following Queen with the King of Pop.

His new venture, Michael, had one obvious difficulty: Jackson had been accused of child abuse. In 1994, he reached an out-of-court settlement with one of his accusers, Jordan Chandler, and he was acquitted of molesting a 13-year-old boy in a criminal trial in 2005.

Lawyers for the estate of Jackson and its executors, who are among the producers of the biopic, tell the BBC that they “firmly and unequivocally believe in Michael Jackson’s innocence, which was unanimously adjudicated by a jury and supported by extensive evidence”.

All the same, the allegations remain a part of Jackson’s life story, complicating the attempt to turn his life into a nine-figure Hollywood blockbuster. But given current demand for the pop star, it’s likely to be a big hit, too. Industry analysts are predicting that Michael will be even bigger than Bohemian Rhapsody.

If King had any initial doubts about the wisdom of giving Jackson the Bohemian Rhapsody treatment, they may have been allayed by the rise in his popularity since his death of a prescription drug overdose, aged 50, in 2009.

On Spotify, he currently has 64.8 million monthly listeners and 40.5 million followers, making him the streaming service’s 27th biggest artist in the world. His life and music are also the basis of a Cirque du Soleil spectacular, Michael Jackson ONE, which has been running in Las Vegas since 2013, and a Tony-winning jukebox show, MJ The Musical, which has been on Broadway since 2022. The biopic would just be the latest addition to the glittering Michael Jackson industry.

It was announced in January 2023 that Michael would be written by John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator) and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day). It was later confirmed that the starry cast would include Colman Domingo, Miles Teller and Nia Long, and that the lead role would be played by Jackson’s own nephew, Jaafar Jackson. And, as mentioned, its producer knows a thing or two about exultant pop biopics. In 2024, a spokesperson for the new film told the BBC in a statement: “From the beginning the Michael Jackson estate put their trust in Graham King, stepping out of the creative process.”

A complicated legacy

So why is Jackson such a hot property, despite the accusations that once tainted his image? “There are several things at work here,” Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, pop critic at the Financial Times, tells the BBC. “One is the lack of definitive legal proof [that Jackson committed any crimes]. Another is the branch of public relations dedicated to reputation management or rehabilitation. Jackson is now seen as a victim himself, bullied by his father, warped by fame, dying too young. And finally, most importantly, there’s the fact that he’s the ultimate pop star – a brilliant vocal stylist, a dancer to rival Fred Astaire, an entertainer with an indelible sense of his own sound and look.”

“Another factor,” adds Ed Potton, culture commissioning editor at The Times, “is whether you’ve seen the Leaving Neverland documentary.”

This Emmy-winning four-hour documentary features the testimonies of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two men who allege that Jackson had sexually abused them when they were children. It was broadcast in two parts on HBO in 2019, just a few months before the announcement that King would be making his biopic.

In a letter to the BBC, lawyers representing the Jackson estate call Leaving Neverland and its 2025 sequel “one-sided hit-pieces attacking Michael Jackson”.

The documentary’s director, Dan Reed, tells the BBC that he had read an early draft of the Michael screenplay that “contained many falsehoods, a great many inaccuracies and also just outright lies about the facts of his relationship with Jordan Chandler and Jordan Chandler’s parents”. Lawyers representing Jackson’s estate tell the BBC that because Reed had not seen the finished film, his comments were “irrelevant and misguided”. They added: “As the film was years away from completion at the time statements were made, they were false and defamatory speculative assertions”.

The film’s revisions and reshoots

The film did indeed take years to complete. The production was delayed by the Sag-Aftra strike in 2023, but things got underway in the early months of 2024. King suggested at the time that the film would address some of the controversy relating to its subject. “Behind the unrelenting scrutiny and the accusations and the grinding media spotlight, [Jackson] was simply a man,” the producer said at Las Vegas’s CinemaCon in April 2024. “A man who lived a very complicated life. The movie will get into all of it…”

“The film charts Jackson’s rise from family-band member to solo superstar, climaxing with a triumphal concert from the Bad tour in 1988. Nothing controversial is featured

Pope Leo says he was not seeking to debate Donald Trump when he criticised “tyrants” for spending billions on wars in a speech earlier this week.

The pontiff said the remarks, delivered days after a high-profile spat with the US president, had been written a fortnight earlier – “well before the president ever commented on myself”.

“And yet as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate, again, the president, which is not in my interest at all,” he told reporters aboard a flight to Angola on Saturday.

On Monday, Trump launched a scathing attack on the first American Pope – who has been a vocal critic of the US-Israeli military operation in Iran – as “terrible for foreign policy”.

The Pope, who is on a tour of Africa, said a “certain narrative that has not been accurate” had developed, citing “the political situation created” by Trump’s comments.

During a speech in Cameroon on Thursday, he had criticised leaders who “turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found”.

“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” he said.

The Pope also condemned “an endless cycle of destabilisation and death” in a “bloodstained” region of Cameroon that had been gripped by insurgency for nearly a decade.

The remarks were interpreted by some as a reference to Trump – who later told reporters: “The Pope can say what he wants, and I want him to say what he wants, but I can disagree.”

He had initially posted his lengthy criticism of the leader of the Catholic Church after the pontiff had voiced concern about Trump’s threat that “a whole civilisation will die” if Iran did not agree to US demands to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz.

The president said he was “not a big fan” of the Pope and called him “WEAK on crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy”. Trump also posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure, which he later removed.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce84j261kj1o

At least six people have been killed and others injured after a person opened fire in Kyiv on Saturday, Ukrainian officials say.

The incident happened in the southern Holosiivskyi district. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the man, who lived locally, began shooting at people on the street and then took others hostage in a nearby supermarket.

Klymenko said the attacker was killed in the supermarket following a shoot-out with police. His motive is currently unclear.

The exact number of victims also remains unclear, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 14 people were known to have been injured, including a 12-year-old boy.

He said four people had been killed on the street while a woman, thought to be around 30 years old, died later in hospital. The attacker also killed a hostage.

Police negotiators spoke to the shooter for around 40 minutes while he was in the supermarket, Klymenko said. He described the man as “acting chaotically”.

“We tried to persuade him, realising that there was an injured person there,” he explained, adding that the attacker had not made any demands.

“We offered to bring in tourniquets to stop the bleeding and so on. But he did not respond, so the order was given to eliminate him, especially after he killed one of the hostages.”

Four hostages were then freed, officials said.

Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko, identified the shooter as a 58-year-old man from the Russian capital, Moscow, and said he had used an automatic weapon to carry out the fatal shooting.

The weapon used by the attacker was officially registered, officials said. The circumstances surrounding the issuing of the permit, as well as the shooting itself, are now being investigated.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm25r1vkx4lo

Zohran Mamdani’s “city-run groceries” gambit was always mostly symbolic — even he doesn’t pretend one-store-per-borough will be more than proof of concept — but it’s fast becoming a symbol and sign of how hollow his whole mayoralty could prove.

Last week he at long last unveiled the plan for the first store: He says it will cost $30 million and take nearly three years to build.

That’s 40% of what the mayor had said five groceries would cost — and many times what the private sector spends to build a grocery store in just a few months.

As Anthony Pena, president of the National Supermarket Association, told The Post: “Even a high end, gourmet store in the middle of Manhattan wouldn’t cost that much to build.”

(It’ll get worse, too: New York public projects never cost less or finish faster than the initial estimate — they’re almost always over-budget and long-delayed: Don’t bet the store opens before Mamdani’s running for re-election in 2029.)

Worse yet, Mamdani’s already tossed the main point of the exercise — offering food at affordable prices — into the dumpster: Only a core basket of goods will be particularly cheap.

Actually, two main points: Rather than boost food access in under-served areas, this stores going up in a ’hood with at least five others.

A “Potemkin village” is a fake-front display slapped over a grim reality; the grocery debacle suggests Mamdani is offering his fans Potemkin socialism.

That is: “Achievements” posed for TikTok or Instagram so the mayor can wow his affluent, transplant-heavy voter base — while completely failing to make good on his inaugural-speech vow to deliver “safety, affordability, and abundance.”

It’s already a pattern:

• His tax-the-rich vows of income- and corporate-tax hikes have dwindled down to a surtax on pieds-a-terre — a loser for the city overall, but also not the mass-redistribution of a proper socialist.

• His Department of Community Safety will no longer displace the NYPD on many calls; it’s just handing high-paying jobs to a couple of comrades.

• Even his rent freeze will disappoint his base, since it covers only rent-stabilized units — and will likely push up market-rate rents.

• He’s dropped his push to decommission the NYPD gang database and switched sides on expanding “free housing” vouchers.

He’s even cut public-library funding as a bargaining chip in budget negotiations.

Yes, we’re pleased by some of this, especially his retreats from undermining public safety — but Mamdani didn’t run for mayor to make the New York Post happy.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/04/18/opinion/will-mamdani-only-offer-four-years-of-potemkin-socialism-like-his-grocery-fiasco/

A parachuter slammed into Virginia Tech’s scoreboard, leaving the stuntman dangling high above a shocked crowd and delaying the school’s spring game Saturday afternoon.

Terrifying footage shows two parachuters with American flags attached to them, gliding across Virginia Tech’s home football stadium, Lane Stadium.

The two dare devils appeared to be on the same flight trajectory — with the first parachuter, carrying a smaller flag, flying over the video board safely.

The second parachuter, however, appeared to have caught some wind on their descent, causing a dramatic collision right into the massive C of “Tech.”

The game, slated for 3 p.m. kick-off, was delayed for over an hour as emergency personnel deployed a crane to rescue the stuck parachuter.

The jumper’s parachute appeared to get stuck between the letters ‘C’ and ‘H’ — ripping off the covering and exposing the lights beneath.

The parachuter dropped their American flag, along with a smaller parachute, into the stands below as they were suspended mid-air on the sign.

The parachuter was successfully rescued 45 minutes later, On3 reported.

Kick-off began an hour later than scheduled, shortly after 4 p.m.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/04/18/sports/parachuter-slams-into-virginia-tech-scoreboard-jarring-crowd-and-delaying-football-game/

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has asserted the navy’s readiness to deliver significant defeats to adversaries during a fragile ceasefire with Israel.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a warning that the country’s navy is prepared to inflict further “bitter defeats” on its enemies, in remarks published on Saturday amid a fragile truce with US and Israel. In a message marking Iran’s Armed Forces Day, posted on his Telegram account, he said: “Just as Iran’s drones strike like lightning against the US and Zionist criminals, Israel, the brave navy is also prepared to inflict new bitter defeat on enemies.”

The comments come during a 10-day ceasefire between Iran and Israel, which is due to expire on April 22.

Iran said it was tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, warning mariners the vital energy route was again closed, but President Donald Trump said Tehran could not blackmail the United ​States by shutting the waterway.
Tehran said it was responding to a continued U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, calling it a violation of their ceasefire, while Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran’s navy ‌was ready to inflict “new bitter defeats” on its enemies.

Shipping sources said at least two vessels reported coming under fire and being hit while trying to transit the waterway. India later said the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi had been summoned and that it had expressed deep concern to him that two Indian-flagged ships had come under fire in the strait.
State media in Iran quoted the Supreme National Security Council as saying Iranian control over the strait included demanding the payment of costs related to security, safety and environmental protection services.
State television also quoted ​the Supreme National Security Council as saying the U.S. had put forward new proposals after talks mediated by Pakistan in recent days. Tehran was considering them but had not yet responded, it said.

There was no ​immediate sign of direct U.S.-Iran talks taking place at the weekend, despite Trump saying on Friday that negotiations would take place.

UNCERTAINTY AROUND IRAN CONFLICT

Tehran’s renewed tough messaging caused fresh ⁠uncertainty around the Iran conflict, raising the risk that oil and gas shipments through the strait could remain disrupted just as Washington weighs whether to extend the fragile ceasefire.
Trump said the U.S. was having “very good conversations” with Iran but ​that Tehran wanted to close the strait again. Iran could not blackmail the U.S., he said.
Maritime security and shipping sources said some merchant vessels had received radio messages from Iran’s navy saying no ships were allowed through the waterway, reversing ​Friday’s signs that traffic might resume.
Maritime trackers had earlier shown a convoy of eight tankers transiting the narrow passage in the first major movement of ships since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began seven weeks ago.

Hours earlier, Trump had cited “some pretty good news” about Iran, declining to elaborate. But he also said fighting might resume without a peace deal by Wednesday, when the two-week ceasefire expires.
Iran had announced its temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following a separate U.S.-brokered 10-day ceasefire agreement on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon. Israel invaded parts of ​southern Lebanon after the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group joined the fighting in early March.
But on Saturday Iran’s armed forces command said transit through the strait had reverted to a state of strict Iranian military control, citing what it described ​as repeated U.S. violations and acts of “piracy” under the guise of a blockade.

The spokesperson said Iran had earlier agreed, “in good faith,” to the managed passage of a limited number of oil tankers and commercial vessels following negotiations, but said continued U.S. actions had ‌forced Tehran ⁠to restore tighter controls on shipping through the strategic chokepoint.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement that American forces were enforcing a maritime blockade of Iran, but did not comment on the latest Iranian actions.

NO DATE FOR DIRECT TALKS

The war with Iran began on February 28 with a U.S.-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic. It has killed thousands, spread to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and sent oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait.
Despite the initial movement of ships, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said no date had been set for the next round of negotiations, adding that a framework of understanding must be agreed first.
Pressure for a way out of the war has mounted as Trump’s ​fellow Republicans defend narrow majorities in Congress in the November ​midterm elections with U.S. gasoline prices high, inflation ⁠rising and his own approval ratings down.
“The main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon, and that supersedes everything else,” Trump said on Friday.
Trump also said he might end the ceasefire with Iran unless a long-term deal to end the war was agreed before it expires on Wednesday, adding that ​a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would continue.
There were no signs of preparations early on Saturday for talks in the Pakistani capital, where the highest-level U.S.-Iran negotiations ​since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ended ⁠without agreement last weekend.
A Pakistani source aware of mediation efforts had said a meeting between Iran and the U.S. could produce an initial memorandum of understanding, followed by a comprehensive peace agreement within 60 days.
Separately, a senior Iranian official said Tehran hoped a preliminary agreement could be reached in the coming days.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/trump-says-he-has-good-news-iran-no-clarity-peace-deal-2026-04-18/

U.S. President ​Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday intended to speed up access to medical research and treatment based on psychedelic ‌drugs.
The order instructs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expedite the review of drugs such as ibogaine, which U.S. military veteran groups have said can help treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has championed the idea of using drugs such as ibogaine as an alternative treatment for mental health conditions such as depression.

At an event ​in the Oval Office, U.S. federal officials said the reforms would pave the way for the drugs, which can cause hallucinations and are largely ​illegal, to be reclassified after successful clinical trials. Trump also said the U.S. would dedicate $50 million to federal research ⁠into ibogaine.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said decisions on the drugs could come as soon as this summer.

MEXICO HAS IBOGAINE TREATMENT CENTERS

Ibogaine, ​derived from a shrub native to Africa, is a Schedule I substance in the United States, meaning it is deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use ​and a high potential for abuse,” according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Globally, ibogaine is sometimes used to treat mental health conditions in nations where it is legal or faces fewer restrictions. Mexico has ibogaine treatment centers that often attract U.S. veterans.

Flanked by U.S. military veterans such as Marcus Luttrell and Representative Morgan Luttrell, a Texas Republican, and with podcaster ​Joe Rogan standing directly behind him, Trump said ibogaine had come to his attention partly through the efforts of Rogan, who devoted an episode of ​his show to advocates for the drug’s use in treating veterans.
Officials on Saturday said there is now enough scientific evidence to justify the potential use of ibogaine as ‌a mental ⁠health treatment.
“I’ve been hearing about it a little bit over the last year,” Trump said. “I never heard anything about it in the past. It was almost like, taboo. It’s not taboo anymore.”

Trump has often signed executive orders where legislation with a more durable legal impact has failed. In December, Trump signed an executive order backing research into marijuana and cannabidiol, also substances classified as illegal.
The December order instructed the U.S. attorney general to move ahead with reclassifying marijuana, a ​decision that would represent one of the ​most significant federal changes to ⁠marijuana policy in decades. The Justice Department’s Drug Enforcement Administration has not yet reclassified the drug.
During Saturday’s signing ceremony, Morgan Luttrell said he and others had unsuccessfully tried to pass legislation in Congress. In a statement after the signing, ​Luttrell and Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who formerly chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said they ​would also push for ⁠legislation on ibogaine.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-announces-reforms-accelerate-access-psychedelic-drug-treatments-2026-04-18/

Republicans and Democrats vehemently disagree over whether Virginia should adopt a new congressional map for the November midterms, but they’re leaning on the same person to sway ​voters to their side: former U.S. President Barack Obama.
Ahead of Virginia’s statewide special election on Tuesday, Obama has become an omnipresent voice of an expensive, high-stakes campaign that ‌could be critical in determining which party controls the House of Representatives after November’s elections.

The former president – once an opponent of gerrymandering – has endorsed efforts by Virginia’s Democratic Party to allow the state’s legislature to create new congressional districts that could give Democrats four additional seats in Congress, offsetting similar Republican efforts undertaken at President Donald Trump’s behest in Texas and several other states.
His position shows how far Democrats have shifted on the issue in the wake of unprecedented Republican-led mid-decade efforts ​to redraw state congressional maps to help their party maintain control of Congress. But Republicans are hoping Virginia’s voters are more swayed by what Obama has said in the past.

Television and radio ​ads sponsored by two Republican groups use 2017 footage of Obama that blames gerrymandering for political polarization that’s made it “harder and harder to find common ground.” ⁠They urge Virginians to vote no.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said the Obama-centric messaging from Republicans shows their desperation.
“They wouldn’t be lying about Obama’s position if they weren’t desperate and worried,” Kaine said.
Recent ​surveys of likely voters show the yes campaign narrowly leading. More than 1 million people have voted early, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
Should the amendment pass, the new congressional districts would remain in place ​until after the 2030 census.

ALL OBAMA, ALL THE TIME

Obama has appeared in mailers, radio spots and TV ads for both sides of the issue, potentially confusing voters with mixed messaging led by groups with anodyne names.

But Obama endorsed the referendum, appearing in a TV ad where he says: “Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years, but you can stop them by voting yes by April 21.”
Meanwhile, Virginians for ​Fair Maps, a Republican-led committee that has raised nearly $20 million, and Justice for Democracy PAC, a group funded by nearly $9 million from the conservative nonprofit Per Aspera Policy Incorporated, have led the opposition with Obama ​ads.
Both groups’ ads resurface Obama’s April 2017 comments made at the University of Chicago.
“Our president, Barack Obama, knows that partisan gerrymandering is wrong for our democracy. Listen to his words,” a woman says in a Justice for Democracy ‌radio ad.
Republican Representative ⁠Jen Kiggans of Virginia said the strategy to leverage Democrats’ past comments is one the Democratic Party would use if the tables were turned.

“When you put those words in the public sphere, as a politician, they still exist,” she said. “They don’t go away just because you’ve changed your viewpoint.”

REDISTRICTING WARS

Currently, six Democrats and five Republicans compose Virginia’s congressional delegation. A new map would give Democrats a 10-1 advantage in a Democratic-leaning state at the federal level.
The additional four seats in Virginia would be enough to hand Democrats control of the House for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s administration, following a flurry of moves by other ​states.
The redistricting wars started last year in Texas, ​when – at Trump’s direction – Republicans drew new maps ⁠designed to give their party as many as five additional congressional seats. California responded with a similar referendum that could garner Democrats a similar number of seats in that state.
Ohio, Missouri and North Carolina also changed their maps to further favor Republicans, with Florida poised to take up a new map as soon ​as next week.
“If this does not pass, Republicans could gerrymander in all the red states and hang on to the majority and continue to rubber-stamp ​President Trump,” said Virginia Democratic ⁠Representative Suhas Subramanyam.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/virginia-gerrymandering-fight-republicans-claim-obamas-with-them-he-isnt-2026-04-18/

The world has lost over $50 billion ​worth of crude oil that has not been produced since the Iran war began nearly 50 days ago and ‌the aftershock of the crisis will be felt for months and even years to come, according to analysts and Reuters calculations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday the Strait of Hormuz was open following a ceasefire accord agreed in Lebanon, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed a deal to end the ​Iran war would come “soon”, though the timing remains unclear.

Ukraine has penetrated Russian airspace with unprecedented numbers of drones, denying Russia windfall oil profits.

The warning came after Ukraine reached a new series of agreements with European defence companies this week.

“We consider this decision to be a deliberate step leading to a sharp escalation of the military and political situation on the entire European continent and creeping transformation of these countries into a strategic rear for Ukraine,” said a statement from the Russian defence ministry on Wednesday this week.

Russia warned of “unpredictable consequences” and said that “the moves of European leaders are increasingly dragging these countries into the war with Russia.”

It published a list of addresses of European companies involved in joint weapons production with Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former president of Russia and deputy head of its National Security Council, later clarified that this amounted to “a list of potential targets for the Russian armed forces”.

The previous day, Germany agreed to invest 300 million euros ($355m) in Ukraine’s long-range strike capability and would separately invest in 5,000 mid-range attack drones to be used against Russian battlefield supply lines.

Norway also signed an agreement with Ukraine that will lead to joint production of drones, and donated 560 million euros ($661.5m) to support the Ukrainian front lines with drones.

The Netherlands announced 248 million euros ($293m) in drone support, and Belgium pledged 85 million euros ($100m).

Putin’s missing millions

According to reports, the world’s 100 biggest oil companies, including Russia’s Gazprom, have made a $23bn windfall profit in March as a result of the Iran war, which has triggered a global oil supply crisis.

But Russia has seen much of that windfall evaporate as a result of Ukraine’s strikes targeting its oil export terminals and inland infrastructure.

Reuters reported that Russia had missed out on 40 percent of its potential bonanza because Ukraine had destroyed its ability to export at least 2 million barrels of oil a day.

Those Ukrainian strikes have hit a range of targets, from drilling platforms to pipelines and their pumping stations, offloading terminals and refineries.

In the past week alone, Ukraine struck two drilling platforms in the northern Caspian Sea and two oil pumping stations in Volgograd and Krasnodar Krai; an oil depot in the city of Tver northwest of Moscow; the Cherepovets Azot ammonia plant in the Volga region; the Sterlitamak Petrochemical Plant in the Republic of Bashkortostan; and the oil export terminal and refinery at Tuapse on the Black Sea.

These strikes have all been confirmed by geolocated video footage or by Russian officials.

“Today, our deep strikes are no longer a sensation,” said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, articulating how routine its ability to reach deep inside Russia had become.

His deputy defence minister, Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov, pointed out that Russia could not produce enough air defence systems to protect its vast territory, and posted photographs of Russian improvised air defences, including truck-mounted R-77-1 air-to-air missiles.

“Russia does not appear to have fully developed or deployed mobile fire teams, drone interceptors, or other low-cost distributable systems to defend against repeated massed Ukrainian drone strikes,” wrote the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.

Ukraine, on the other hand, has since last year built up its domestic arms industry to be able to strike Russia without Western-supplied kit – and permission.

Zelenskyy released a video on Tuesday this week, now named Arms Makers’ Day, showcasing 56 types of Ukrainian-built weapons, including 31 types of drones.

“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the capabilities of the Ukrainian defence industry have increased by more than 50 times,” said former Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who was instrumental in building up drone production during 2025.

Ukraine’s devastating toll

Ukraine’s most devastating damage on Russian oil infrastructure came in the last 10 days of March and the first 10 days of April, with Russia’s oil terminals at the Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga particularly hard-hit since March 22.

Satellite photography suggested that Primorsk had lost 40 percent of its storage facilities and Ust-Luga, 30 percent. Market ⁠sources also said Russian energy company Novatek had suspended gas condensate processing and exports at Ust-Luga.

The two ports were still unable to handle oil shipments on April 3, industry sources told Reuters. Finnish maritime ⁠officials told the agency in early April that shipments from the two ports were sharply down to “individual vessels” instead of a weekly average of 40 to 50.

When an Aframax tanker did dock at Ust-Luga on April 5 – the first ship to attempt loading crude oil there in many days – Ukraine struck the port again the same night, setting alight three 20,000-cubic-metre (706,300cu-foot) storage tanks.

That same day, Ukraine also struck Primorsk and oil loading facilities at the Sheskharis oil terminal on the Black Sea, which is operated by Russian oil major Transneft. Geolocated footage showed fires at oil tanker berths there.

Satellite photography suggested offloadings had still not resumed on April 14.

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/4/17/ukraines-long-range-strikes-prompt-new-russian-threat-against-europe

Transportation costs for World Cup fans traveling to US stadiums could be more than 10 times higher than regular fares. Local officials and FIFA bosses are trading blame for the increased prices while fans feel fleeced.

Football fans trying to get to MetLife Stadium from New York City for the World Cup matches this summer will have to pay $150 (€127) for a round-trip, according to local transportation officials.

The price is almost 12 times higher than the usual $12.90 fare for the 15-minute trip from Penn Station in Manhattan to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“We are going to charge $150 for our roundtrip ticket on our system. So from New York to MetLife, MetLife back to New York,” said Kris Kolluri, the president and CEO of NJ Transit.

NJ Transit officials said they planned to spend $62 million on transportation for fans traveling to and from the stadium during the tournament. However, only $14 million of those anticipated expenses had been defrayed by outside grants.

A fare increase was needed to cover the rest, according to Kolluri.

“This isn’t price gouging,” he told reporters. “We’re literally trying to recoup our costs.”

Driving to the stadium will be even more expensive. According to the Just Park site, limited parking options will be available at the stadium for fans with disabilities and at an adjacent mall for other supporters. Prices start at $225 per parking space.

US politicians and FIFA trade blame

New Jersey’s recently sworn-in governor, Mikie Sherrill, defended the state transit organization’s policies on X, saying that “FIFA put zero dollars towards transporting World Cup fans.”

She called on the international football’s governing body to cover the transportation costs. “If it won’t, we will not be subsidizing World Cup ticket holders on the backs of New Jerseyans who rely on NJ TRANSIT every day,” Sherrill said in a statement.

On Tuesday, as initial reports emerged, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also wrote on social media that FIFA should foot the bill for transport costs to World Cup venues.

However, FIFA’s World Cup chief operating officer Heimo Schirgi said the move to “arbitrarily set elevated prices and demand FIFA absorb these costs is unprecedented.”

FIFA also pointed out that other US host cities, including Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston, are maintaining their transit rates.

Boston is one notable exception. Officials announced this week that express buses from various locations to Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, will cost $95.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/world-cup-2026-fans-to-pay-150-for-train-ticket-to-stadium/a-76839579

Zambia’s amended law on sexual offences now requires suspects to remain in custody until their cases are concluded in court. The move has been welcomed by the public, though some reservations remain.

Princess Kasune Zulu tested positive for HIV in 1997. At the time, the victim of child marriage in Zambia suspected she contracted the disease from her husband. He had lost two previous wives to AIDS.

A year later, she went public with her status in an autobiograpy titled “Warrior Princess: Fighting for Life with Courage and Hope” (2010). Today, the once orphaned teenage mother and HIV activist is Zambia’s justice minister.

The ministry has now rendered all sexual offences non-bailable.

The enactment of the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Act No. 4 of 2026 now means that suspects of serious offences in Zambia, including child sexual abuse, rape and incest, must remain in custody until their cases are concluded by the courts.

Zulu was one of the first people to announce the change, which has since caused a wide variety of opinions — some positive, others negative — about the need to protect victims and the risk of injustice to the accused.

Women’s groups cheer the new law

The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) has touted the new law as progressive.

“For many years, we have seen survivors and their families complaining that the moment the alleged perpetrator is arrested, within a short period of time, we have seen these perpetrators roaming about the streets and further going to intimidate these families. So, for this, we commend government,” YWCA Executive Director Regina Musa Katongo said.

The change restores public confidence in the justice system, she added.

Musician Daputsa Nkata-Zulu, who is popularly known as Sister D and advocates for the rights of women and children, welcomed the development too.

“It’s music to my ears! We’ve always advocated for ‘no bail, no bond for sexual offenders,” she said.

“[As] somebody who has always worked with people who have been raped — women who have been raped, children who have been defiled — I think those people deserve better, and to see this come to light, is great news for me.”

Concerns about the risk of injustice

A number of mainly men have raised concerns, women, especially those scorned, could use the law to file false allegations.

Others argue that a suspect could spend years in prison by the time they are proven innocent, given Zambia’s track record of delays with court cases.

“I have seen people in police cells, who have actually been there for a year and a half. They just say, no, I just get taken to court and it’s adjourned,” said Steven Akakulubelwa Banda, a Lusaka resident.

“Now, imagine doing that to an individual, based on hearsay.”

Action Against Sexual Violence Executive Director David Chishimba sees the law as extraordinary, but argues that the high rate at which the vulnerable are being sexually abused in Zambia, calls for such severe measures.

A need for safeguards

Chishimba believes that the new measure doesn’t take away the presumption of innocence, but puts sexual offenses on the same footing as other serious crimes such as murder and treason.

The introduction of robust investigative infrastructure and fast track courts could address fears of wrongful or unlawful detention, he told DW.

“We have an opportunity, here, to achieve both, where we can protect the innocent, as well as achieve fair trial for those who are wrongfully accused, but what we should not do is relax these laws.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/zambia-scraps-bail-for-sex-crimes-suspects/a-76829153

The war in Iran and a spat between two of the world’s most influential Americans has forced Giorgia Meloni to choose sides, potentially pushing the Italian prime minister to align herself with Europe’s center-right.

Donald Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV— and a social media post depicting the US president as an AI-generated Jesus — proved to be the breaking point for Giorgia Meloni.

The Italian prime minister, head of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, has long been seen as someone who could wield influence over the right-wing Trump, a key but difficult ally.

But when the pope criticized the US-Israeli war against Iran and said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants,” and Trump unleashed a social media tirade in response, calling Leo “weak,” Meloni rushed to the pontiff’s defense.

Bearing in mind that more than half of Italians identify themselves as Catholic, Meloni said Monday that she considered Trump’s comments about the pope “unacceptable.” As head of the Catholic Church, she said it was “right and normal for ​[the pope] to ‌call for peace and ​to ⁠condemn every form of war.”

Trump, who had previously considered Meloni “one of the real leaders of the world,” quickly lashed out and told an Italian newspaper that “she’s the one who’s unacceptable” and “no longer the same person.” This would potentially be bad news for the Italian prime minister, as she loses Trump’s ear and the influence that comes with it.

But instead, analysts said, Meloni may have used the quarrel between the pope and Trump to deliberately distance herself from an increasingly unpopular American president. A March poll by YouGov found that 80% of Italians had an unfavorable opinion of Trump — especially now with the Iran war leading to a steep rise in energy prices in Italy, which is heavily dependent on natural gas.

“There are elections in Italy next year and in Italy, too, the price at the pump will decide” who wins or loses, said Roberto D’Alimonte, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Florence. “Defending the pope was a smart thing to do, because the pope is a popular figure with her voters.”

Is Iran war shaping Meloni’s Trump policy?

According to a recent poll by Italian research institute SWG, nine in 10 Italians said they were quite worried about the impact of the Iran war on energy prices, while six in 10 said they were against the war with Iran.

Before the war, Italy imported around 10% of its natural gas from Qatar and was Europe’s largest importer of energy from the Gulf country. But the conflict and blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route, and Iran’s counterattacks on Qatar’s biggest gas refinery have forced Italy to look for alternatives, driving up electricity prices.

Leo Goretti, head of the Italian foreign policy program at the Istituto Affari Internazionali think tank in Rome, said the spike in energy prices has led to a palpable discontent in Meloni’s support base.

“Diesel price in Italy is more than €2 [$2.30] per liter. That has a massive impact on a number of social groups which are likely conservative and pro-Meloni,” he said. D’Alimonte agreed, pointing out that “people associate the higher bills and gasoline prices to Trump.”

Meloni’s breakup with Trump a long time coming

Meloni’s relationship with Trump has cooled significantly in recent months, especially since she spoke out against his threats to annex Greenland in January. Goretti said Trump’s ongoing backing for Israel in the Gaza conflict — in which tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed — and Meloni’s support for both Trump and Israel may have cost her politically, further contributing to the political breakup.

“I think the Italian public was quite angry about humanitarian violations in the Gaza war,” said Goretti. “They are not happy about the instability that Israel is unleashing in the Middle East.”

That sentiment may have contributed to Meloni’s defeat in a referendum in March on an unrelated judicial reform, said Goretti. The vote was widely seen as a referendum on her right-wing government and domestic popularity, and with 54% of Italians voting no it has compelled Meloni to see Trump as a liability.

Meloni is now trying to make amends, suspending a defense agreement with Israel and standing up to Trump.

“Meloni is a pragmatist,” said Julien Hoez, editor of the French Dispatch and a political analyst.

“There are various reasons she has decided to take on Trump — because he is unpopular in Italy, because Italians are reeling under high energy prices, because she wants to recover from the loss she faced in the referendum, and because GDP growth appears to be stagnating.

“However, with the controversy between Trump and the pope, she has an opening for a great win by defending the Catholic leader who resides within Italy.”

Meloni may now turn to Europe’s center-right

Goretti said there is a sense in Italy that Meloni’s relationship with Trump, cultivated since she first came to power in 2022, did not bring about any gains for her country.

“That a mediating role between the EU and Trump could help Italy, that was wishful thinking,” said Goretti. Now, he added, she may lean more toward aligning herself with center-right conservative governments rather than the far right.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/italys-meloni-breaks-with-trump-over-war-in-iran-pope/a-76827787

Sources say ‘no expense will be spared’ when it comes to ­giving the Wildest Dreams singer exactly what she wants… as insiders reveal the wedding tradition Taylor will be shunning

IT has been dubbed America’s royal wedding – and when pop superstar Taylor Swift ties the knot with Super Bowl hero Travis Kelce, they are likely to be on a collision course with none other than Donald Trump.

Ever since Taylor revealed to her 280million Instagram followers that she had said yes to the Kansas City player’s marriage proposal in August, her fans have been eagerly waiting for the big day.

Now the wedding has been set for July 3 — and the symbolism of the date has not gone unnoticed.

By choosing the eve of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, the world’s biggest pop star is going head-to-head with the US President for the eyes of the world.

As Trump prepares to launch his lavish extravaganza on July 4 — promising the “largest pyrotechnics display in the history of the world” in Washington and speeches from the man himself — all attention will inevitably be directed elsewhere.

It is a spectacular clash of ­American titans — the Independence Day spectacle versus the ultimate independent woman, who has had a string of highly publicised break-ups before finally saying “I do”.

An insider said: “You can only imagine how they reacted in the White House when they found out about the date. Taylor is certainly stealing Trump’s thunder.

“It is going to be next level. Think Charles and Di — this is America’s royal wedding.”

The happy couple certainly have the budget for a spectacular event to steal everyone’s attention.

Strict no-fly zone

Taylor’s record-breaking Eras tour, which spanned five continents, made more than £1.75billion, while her sportsman beau has earned at least £100million from his US football career.

And sources say “no expense will be spared” when it comes to ­giving the Wildest Dreams singer exactly what she wants.

Despite spending her entire life writing the definitive soundtrack to a generation’s love stories, Taylor never dared to meticulously plan her own big day — until now.

She said: “You would think that I had been that type of person who would have obsessed over the idea of a wedding my whole life but I ­actually never thought about what I would ever do or what I would want — until I met the person.”

The secrecy surrounding Taylor and Travis’s nuptials is like a high-stakes military operation. Rumours of iron-clad non-disclosure agreements have been flying around for months, stoked by TV host Graham Norton.

The chat show star recently let slip that he was one of the lucky few who had received an invitation but said he had been “forced to sign so many NDAs” that he couldn’t speak a word about the big day.

Graham later clarified that he was joking and had not actually signed a single legal document — but pals say he would not miss the wedding for the world after Taylor cheekily invited him along when she appeared on his BBC One show in October.

Even so, sources have told The Sun that the army of staff and planners behind the top-secret event have been made to sign watertight NDAs.

Not even the location has been revealed, with fans speculating the couple were eyeing up a $32million Rhode Island mansion to exchange their vows in a fairytale ceremony.

They pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes by confirming on save-the-date cards sent to invitees that they will tie the knot in New York.

The actual venue remains a fiercely guarded secret, but hundreds of guards are likely to be placed around the perimeter and a strict no-fly zone is expected to be heavily enforced to keep paparazzi drone cameras at bay.

And this ceremony is going to be very big indeed.

Taylor told Graham that she didn’t want to whittle down her guest list as it would mean she would have to “evaluate or assess” her friendships, adding: “I’m not gonna do that.”

The roll call of attendees, which reads like a who’s who of global A-listers, includes her fiercely loyal squad — fellow pop stars Selena Gomez and Sabrina Carpenter, model Gigi Hadid and actress Emma Stone.

Childhood best friend Abigail Anderson will also be on hand to calm the bride’s nerves, while Travis’s NFL buddies will bring some locker-room rowdiness to the elegant affair.

The absences will be just as glaring as the attendances. It is highly unlikely we will see any of Taylor’s former British flames making an appearance — sorry, 1975 singer Matty Healy and actors Joe Alwyn and Tom Hiddleston, your invitations must have been lost in the post.

But Harry Styles, who dated Taylor in 2012, could make an appearance courtesy of his girlfriend Zoe Kravitz, who is a close friend of the bride.

His former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan, who is a judge on The US Voice, has also dropped hints that he will be there.

Despite the star-studded audience, Taylor is breaking with tradition by having no official bridesmaids.

An insider said: “Those in Taylor’s inner circle said she didn’t want to pick and choose between her close friends — but everyone suspects it is because she wants to make sure all eyes are on her.”

The bride will be walking down the aisle in a breathtaking gown inspired by screen icon Elizabeth Taylor.

Like the Hollywood legend, Taylor has lived her tumultuous love life under the glare of the public eye — and the singer even named a song on her latest album The Life Of A Showgirl after the Cleopatra star.

Now, insiders whisper, Taylor is set to wear a cinched-waist dress similar to Elizabeth’s bridal look from her wedding to Paris Hilton’s great-uncle Conrad Hilton Jr in 1950.

After Taylor says her vows in that elegant gown, the energetic bride will likely change into a party dress to dance the night away.

The ring will be equally spectacular if her engagement rock is anything to go by. Travis got down on one knee with a £4million diamond ring from New York’s ultra-luxury Kindred Lubeck jewellers which his fiancée showed off on a recent press tour.

Naturally, the inner bands of their wedding rings are rumoured to be engraved with secret lyrics — a romantic nod to the hidden meanings Taylor places in her songs for fans to obsessively decode.

‘Peak of their careers’

And the setting? It will be a botanical wonderland. Just as their lavish engagement announcement photos were dripping in stunning greenery and white and pink roses, the wedding venue is expected to be transformed into a romantic indoor garden.

With a guest list boasting the music industry’s biggest heavyweights, the question of who will actually perform at the reception has sparked feverish speculation — but all eyes are firmly on her long-time British confidant Ed Sheeran.

Taylor let slip that the singer was practically guaranteed to take the mic, laughing in one interview that it would be “hard to keep him from it”.

She added: “He’s like, ‘I’m always being asked to sing at ­weddings.’ Ed, if there is a stage, you know you’ll be on it. He knows what people want and wants to give people what they want.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16239764/taylor-swift-royal-wedding-plans-trump-thunder/

Finance ministers, central bankers and financiers have expressed serious concerns about a powerful new AI model they fear could undermine the security of financial systems.

The development of the Claude Mythos model by Anthropic has led to crisis meetings, after it found vulnerabilities in many major operating systems.

Experts say it potentially has an unprecedented ability to identify and exploit cyber-security weaknesses – though others caution further testing is needed to properly understand its capabilities.

Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne told the BBC that Mythos had been discussed extensively at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Washington DC this week.

“Certainly it is serious enough to warrant the attention of all the finance ministers,” he said.

“The difference is that the Strait of Hormuz – we know where it is and we know how large it is… the issue that we’re facing with Anthropic is that it’s the unknown, unknown.”

“This is requiring a lot of attention so that we have safeguards, and we have processes in place to make sure that we ensure the resiliency of our financial systems,” he added.

What is Claude Mythos?

Mythos is one of Anthropic’s latest models developed as part of its broader AI system called Claude, a rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.

It was revealed by Anthropic earlier this month, when developers responsible for testing AI models and their performance of so-called “misaligned” tasks – which go against human values, goals and behaviour – said it was “strikingly capable at computer security tasks”.

Citing concerns it could surface old software bugs or find ways to easily exploit system vulnerabilities, Anthropic has not released the model.

Instead it has made Mythos available to tech giants like Amazon Web Services, CrowdStrike, Microsoft and Nvidia as part of an initiative called Project Glasswing – which it calls an “effort to secure the world’s most critical software”.

On Thursday, Anthropic released a new version of an existing model, Claude Opus, saying it would allow Mythos’ cyber capabilities to be tested in less powerful systems.

Concerns raised about Mythos may exceed chatter around previous AI models, but some cyber-security experts have questioned how justified they are – especially given the model has not been tested by the wider industry to see how capable it actually is.

The UK’s AI Security Institute has been given access to a preview version of it, and has published the only independent report into the model’s cyber-security skills.

Its researchers noted it was a powerful tool able to find many security holes in undefended environments, but suggested Mythos was not dramatically better than Claude’s predecessor, Opus 4.

“Our testing shows that Mythos Preview can exploit systems with weak security posture, and it is likely that more models with these capabilities will be developed,” the report authors said.

It is also not the first time an AI developer has claimed the capabilities of its models means they should not be released – something critics argue is a tactic to build hype.

In February 2019, OpenAI cited similar fears when it chose to stagger the release of GPT-2, an earlier version of its models which now power its biggest tool ChatGPT.

‘Understand the vulnerabilities’

Top bankers are to be given access to the model in advance to test out their systems.

The chief executive of Barclays, CS Venkatakrishnan, told the BBC: “It’s serious enough that people have to worry.

“We have to understand it better, and we have to understand the vulnerabilities that are being exposed and fix them quickly.”

He added that “this is what the new world is going to be” – referencing a much more connected financial system, with both opportunities and vulnerabilities.

While developer Anthropic has said the model has already exposed multiple security vulnerabilities in some critical operating systems, financial systems and web browsers, governments and banks are being offered access in advance of its public release to help protect their own systems.

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey told the BBC the development had to be taken very seriously: “We are having to look very carefully now what this latest AI development could mean for the risk of cyber crime.”

He added: “The consequence could be that there is a development of AI, of modelling, which makes it easier to detect existing vulnerabilities in sort of core IT systems, and then obviously cyber criminals – the bad actors – could seek to exploit them.”

The US Treasury confirmed it had raised the issue with its major banks encouraging them to test out their systems, before any public release of Mythos by Anthropic.

Financial industry sources indicated that another prominent US AI company could soon release a similarly powerful model but without the same safeguards.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2ev24yx4rmo

Batra had moved to the US in 1991 as a child after her parents were killed in the anti-Sikh violence of 1984. She has spent almost all of her adult life in South Texas, raising her four children. Her son recently enlisted in the US Army.

Meenu Batra, a 53-year-old Indian-origin woman, has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas, triggering a legal challenge over the lawfulness of her custody. Batra has lived in the US for more than 35 years and is the only licensed Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu court interpreter in Texas, helping hundreds of people in immigration court for years.

She was detained on March 17 at Harlingen International Airport while travelling to Milwaukee for an immigration court assignment, where ICE officers stopped her and put her in handcuffs. She tried to clarify that she had a valid status and a legal work permit, yet was arrested and later transferred to the El Valle detention facility in Raymondville.

Speaking to The Guardian from jail, Batra called her detention “bizarre”. She said she has been “treated like a criminal” and fears being deported to a country where she has never been.

The Humiliating Ordeal

“It feels bizarre,” she told The Guardian. “I haven’t been able to cry much because nothing is making sense.”

“I don’t know how else to put it. Here I am just staring at the wall, wondering what exactly I’m doing here, but also what anybody is doing here.”

Batra had moved to the US in 1991 as a child after her parents were killed in the anti-Sikh violence of 1984. She has spent almost all of her adult life in South Texas, raising her four children. Her son recently enlisted in the US Army.

Now, Batra has filed a habeas corpus petition challenging her detention. In her petition, she said she was initially detained without food or water for 24 hours, and even denied her medication. She also alleged that after her arrest, officers made her pose for photographs with her hands behind her back, giving the impression that she was still handcuffed.

They told her the images were “for social media”. “This made me feel humiliated and treated like a criminal,” she said.

Fear Of Deportation To ‘Third Country’

Deepak Ahluwalia, a California and Texas-based immigration lawyer representing Batra, told The Guardian that in 2000, the 53-year-old woman was granted a “withholding of removal” to India by an immigration court, which concluded she was likely to face persecution there.

He explained that because of the “withholding of removal” order, the government cannot send her to India unless it reopens her immigration case. But the Trump administration has not done that, leading Ahluwalia to suspect that the government might send her to a third country

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/indian-woman-meenu-batra-in-us-for-35-years-detained-by-ice-24-hours-without-food-water-11371156?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

President Donald Trump said the United States has ​barred Israel from further bombing in Lebanon, striking an unusually harsh tone with the longtime U.S. ally while stressing that any U.S. deal ‌with Iran is not linked to the Lebanon conflict.
“Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!” Trump said in a social media post.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to Trump’s remarks, but Netanyahu said in a statement earlier that Israeli forces remained stationed in southern Lebanon to defend ​against “the near threat.”

“There are things we plan to do regarding the remaining rocket threat and the drone threat, which I will not detail here,” Netanyahu ​said.
A U.S.-backed Israeli-Lebanese ceasefire took effect at 2100 GMT on Thursday, halting fighting that flared on March 2 when Hezbollah fired ⁠on northern Israel in support of Iran’s fight with the U.S. and Israel, drawing an Israeli offensive that Lebanese authorities say has killed 2,000 people.

U.S. NAVAL BLOCKADE ON ​IRAN REMAINS IN PLACE

In a series of social media posts after Iran announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, Trump emphasized that any deal ​the United States reaches with Iran “is in no way subject to Lebanon” and said the U.S. will handle the militant group Hezbollah in an appropriate manner.

“Again! This deal is not tied, in any way, to Lebanon, but we will, MAKE LEBANON GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote in a later post.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi specified the Strait of Hormuz was open for the remainder of the ​10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon.
However, Trump later posted: “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon ​against the World!”
The U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, which started on February 28, had effectively closed the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually transits.
After ‌38 days ⁠of fighting, a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war came into effect on April 8. The United States then began enforcing a blockade on vessels entering and departing Iran on Monday.
“The naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete,” Trump wrote in an all capital letters.

TRUMP SAYS HE REBUFFED NATO OFFER OF HELP

Trump said he believed a deal to end the Iran war would come “soon” because most ​of the points are already negotiated, although ​the timing remains unclear. Trump reiterated ⁠that the U.S. will get nuclear material from Iran, adding: “No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form.”
Trump, who in 2018 pulled the U.S. out of a 2015 nuclear accord curtailing Iran’s nuclear work, has said a primary reason for ​the war was to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Iran says its enrichment of uranium – a process that produces ​fuel for power plants ⁠and nuclear warheads depending on its duration – is strictly for peaceful civilian use.
The U.S. president said on Friday that he had rebuffed an offer from NATO to help and told them to stay away unless they want to load up ships with oil.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-says-israel-banned-bombing-lebanon-2026-04-17/

Pakistan’s air force escorted Iranian negotiators home from inconclusive peace talks ​with the U.S. last weekend, launching a major operation after the Iranians said Israel might seek to kill them, three sources told Reuters.
Pakistan ‌deployed some two dozen jets in the escort, as well as the force’s Airborne Warning and Control System for aerial surveillance to ensure the safety of the delegation back from Islamabad, said two Pakistani sources with knowledge of the operation.

One said similar security protection would be provided for subsequent talks if the Iranians ask for it, “otherwise Pakistani aircraft would receive them in Pakistan airspace”.
A third ​source involved in the talks said measures were already in the works ahead of an expected further round of talks as soon as this weekend.

‘THEY ​MIGHT BE TARGETED’

A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran, however, said Pakistan insisted on the escort after Iranian delegates raised the “hypothetical” possibility ⁠of a threat.
The discussions with the Iranian delegation about a potential threat while travelling and the presence of a Pakistani air escort into Iran have not previously ​been reported.

The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran’s permanent mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for ​comment. Pakistan’s air force and military did not respond to questions about the operation. The U.S. embassy in Islamabad did not respond to a request for comment.
“When the talks failed, the Iranians were wary that things had not gone right. It was their suspicion that they might be targeted,” one security source said.
“This was a massive operational mission if you look at it from a ​pilot’s point of view. You are taking responsibility for a delegation that is coming for talks, you are giving them air cover, you have potent fighters that ​counter any threat,” he said.
The source involved in the talks, the highest-level engagement between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, confirmed the air escort but did not provide details ‌about the ⁠operation.

“We dropped them all the way to Tehran. Their security was our responsibility even beyond their time here,” the source said.
Sunday’s mission to Iran included Chinese-made J-10 aircraft, the top jet in the Pakistani air force fleet, one official said.

ISRAELI STRIKE LIST

The Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a former military officer and certified pilot, requested the security escort, which goes well beyond normal protocol, the two security sources said.
The regional diplomat said the Iranians did not ​make a formal request but also did ​not “rule out the possibility that Israel ⁠could even strike the aircraft”, prompting Pakistan to insist on providing a security escort.
The delegation did not land in Tehran, the diplomat said, declining to say where they were dropped off.
Israel had Araqchi and Qalibaf on its strike list until Pakistan asked Washington ​to intervene to have them removed because there would be no one left to negotiate on the war the U.S. ​and Israel launched on ⁠February 28.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month, “I wouldn’t issue life insurance policies on any of the leaders of the terrorist organisation,” referring to Iran. “I don’t intend to provide an exact report here about what we are planning or what we are going to do.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/iran-negotiators-citing-possible-israeli-attack-got-pakistan-escort-home-peace-2026-04-17/

Meta (META.O), intends ​to conduct a first wave of sweeping layoffs planned for this year on May 20, with more ‌coming later, three sources familiar with the plans told Reuters.
The Facebook and Instagram owner will lay off about 10% of its global workforce, or close to 8,000 employees, in that initial round, one of the sources said.

The company is planning further layoffs in the second half of the ​year, the three sources said, although details of those cuts, including date and size, were not yet settled. ​Executives may adjust their plans as they observe developments in artificial intelligence capabilities, the sources added.

Reuters ⁠reported last month that the company was planning to lay off 20% or more of its global workforce.
Meta declined to comment ​on the timing or scope of planned cuts.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into AI as he seeks ​to dramatically reshape his company’s inner workings around the technology, reflecting a broader pattern among major U.S. companies this year, particularly in the tech sector.
Amazon.com (AMZN.O), similarly has trimmed 30,000 corporate employees in recent months, representing nearly 10% of its white-collar workers, while in February the fintech company Block (XYZ.N), chopped nearly half of its staff.

In ​both of those cases, executives tied the cuts to efficiency gains from artificial intelligence.
Layoffs.fyi, a website tracking tech job cuts ​around the world, reported that 73,212 employees have lost their jobs so far this year. For all of 2024, the figure was 153,000.
Meta’s ‌layoffs this ⁠year will be the social media giant’s most significant since a restructuring in late 2022 and early 2023 that it dubbed the “year of efficiency,” when it eliminated about 21,000 jobs. At that time, Meta’s stock was in freefall and the company was struggling to correct for COVID-era growth assumptions that ultimately proved unsustainable.
The company is in a more comfortable financial position this time, but executives ​envision a future of fewer ​management layers and greater efficiency ⁠brought about by AI-assisted workers.

Meta’s shares are up 3.68% since the start of the year, although they are down from a record high achieved last summer. Last year, it generated more ​than $200 billion of revenue and achieved a $60 billion profit despite outsized spending on artificial intelligence.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/meta-targets-may-20-first-wave-layoffs-additional-cuts-later-2026-2026-04-17/

The Trump administration on Friday renewed a waiver allowing countries ‌to buy sanctioned Russian oil at sea for about a month, even as lawmakers accused the government of going easy on Moscow as its war on Ukraine grinds on.
The Treasury Department’s waiver lets countries purchase Russian oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of Friday through May 16. It replaces a 30-day waiver that expired on April 11 and excludes transactions involving ​Iran, Cuba and North Korea.

The move is part of the administration’s effort to control global energy prices that have shot higher during the ​U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. It came after countries in Asia, suffering from the global energy shock, pressed Washington to allow alternative ⁠supplies to reach markets.

REVERSAL BY TREASURY

“As negotiations (with Iran) accelerate, Treasury wants to ensure oil is available to those who need it,” a Treasury Department spokesperson ​said.
Just two days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would not be renewing the waiver for Russian oil and another for Iranian oil, which is set ​to expire on Sunday.

Global oil prices tumbled 9% on Friday to about $90 a barrel after Iran temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz, an oil choke point in the Gulf. But the war has already created the worst global energy supply disruption in history, the International Energy Agency has said.
The war, which enters its eighth week on Saturday, has damaged more ​than 80 oil and gas facilities in the Middle East, and Tehran has warned it could close the strait again if the recent U.S. Navy blockade ​of Iranian ports continued.
High oil prices are a threat to President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Trump has also faced pressure from partner countries on the ‌oil price. ⁠A U.S. source said partner countries on the sidelines of Group of 20, World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington this week had requested the U.S. extend the waiver. And he spoke about oil this week in a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, a big purchaser of Russian oil.

The waiver on Iranian oil, which the Treasury Department issued on March 20, allowed some 140 million barrels of oil to reach global markets and helped relieve ​pressure on energy supply, Bessent said last ​month.

LASTING DAMAGE

U.S. lawmakers from both ⁠political parties had slammed the administration over the sanctions waivers, saying they stood to help the economy of Iran while it was at war with the U.S. and of Russia as it was at war with Ukraine.
The waivers could impede ​the West’s efforts to deprive Russia of revenue for its war in Ukraine and put Washington at odds ​with its allies. European ⁠Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said now is not the time to relax sanctions against Russia.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-extends-waiver-allowing-countries-buy-russian-oil-2026-04-18/

Tens of thousands of people protested in Lisbon on Friday against the government’s planned labour reforms, which unions say would erode ​workers’ rights and deepen job insecurity by making outsourcing easier and curbing ‌payable overtime.
The minority centre-right government approved a draft bill in September to amend the labour code, aiming to tackle structurally low productivity.

But it triggered the country’s first general strike in more than a decade in ​December, with unions accusing the government of siding with employers to strip rights ​from low-paid workers struggling with rising living costs.

Portugal’s largest union, CGTP, said “many ⁠tens of thousands” occupied the capital’s main avenue, while police gave no estimate on ​the number of demonstrators.
Ines Branco, a 33-year-old shop assistant, said the reforms would harm workers “in ​every way” – from making it easier to dismiss staff to reducing time for family life.
She added that none of the changes would improve workers’ lives.
“With the cost of living rising, workers are working ​40 hours a week and still can’t pay the bills at the end of ​the month, while companies are making millions in profits. This is unacceptable,” she said.

The bill is undergoing ‌mandatory ⁠consultations with unions and business groups before being submitted to parliament, where far-right Chega, the largest opposition party, has said it may support it.
Although the government has dropped some fiercely opposed measures – including plans to ease just-cause dismissals – unions say major concerns remain. They ​include proposals to lift ​limits on outsourcing ⁠and to create “individual time banks,” allowing employees to work up to two hours beyond the eight‑hour standard workday without immediate overtime pay, ​offset later within an annual cap of 150 hours.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/tens-thousands-rally-lisbon-against-planned-labour-reforms-2026-04-17/

D4vd was taken out of his home in handcuffs surrounded by multiple officers from the LAPD after he was arrested Thursday.

Video footage, obtained by The California Post, shows the singer with his hands behind his back as he’s led down a residential street in the Hollywood Hills.

The singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, had not been seen for months prior to his arrest Thursday afternoon. He emerged wearing grey sweatpants and a black hoodie and seemed expressionless.

A neighbor told The Post she witnessed “so many cops” on the street just before the singer was taken into custody. One officer was on a loudspeaker outside the home shouting “Surrender!” according to the neighbor.

Authorities swarmed the Hollywood Hills home where the singer was staying to make the arrest.

“We came to the home with a probably cause arrest warrant for him,” LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division Commanding Officer Captain Scot M. Williams confirmed to The California Post on the scene.

“We did the best we can to keep tabs on him, but once we developed probable cause to arrest him for murder, then we were on him pretty diligently,” Captain Williams said.

The LAPD confirmed to The Post that Burke was arrested for the murder of Celeste Rivas. The dismembered body of the 14-year-old was discovered in the back of a Tesla belonging to D4vd back in September after employees in a tow yard could smell a foul odor coming from the vehicle.

“Detectives from Los Angeles Police Department, Robbery-Homicide Division have arrested David Burke, a 21-year-old resident of Los Angeles, for the murder of Celeste Rivas. Burke is being held without bail. The case will be presented to the District Attorney’s office on Monday for filing consideration,” an LAPD release said.

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/04/16/us-news/video-footage-shows-d4vd-arrested-in-hollywood-hills-surrounded-by-lapd-officers/

Singer D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of killing a 14-year-old girl whose decomposed body was found seven months ago in his apparently abandoned Tesla, authorities said Thursday, while his lawyers declared his innocence.

Los Angeles police said in a brief statement that homicide detectives arrested the 21-year-old Houston-born alt-pop singer, whose legal name is David Burke, on suspicion of murder in the investigation of the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter responded in an email: “Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.”

Police said investigators would present a case to prosecutors at the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office on Monday. The office said in its own statement that it is aware of the arrest and its Major Crimes Division will review the case to determine whether there is enough evidence to file charges.

The defense lawyers added, “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”

It was their first public statement on the case. Authorities did not publicly name Burke as a suspect until his arrest. He was being held in jail without bail.

The singer had been under investigation by an LA County grand jury looking into the death of Rivas Hernandez. The probe was officially secret, but its existence — and the designation of D4vd as its target — was revealed on Feb. 25 when his mother, father and brother filed an objection in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.

The long-dead body of Rivas Hernandez was found in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills on Sept. 8, a day after she would have turned 15. She was a 13-year-old seventh grader when her family reported her missing in 2024 from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. Authorities give her age as 14 when she was killed in court documents.

The 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the singer’s name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed family members, according to court filings from prosecutors. It had been towed from an upscale neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills where it had been sitting, seemingly abandoned.

Police investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” court documents said, and “detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a decomposed head and torso.”

Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the bag and “discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” according to court documents. A second black bag was found under the first, and dismembered body parts were inside it. No cause of death has been publicly revealed.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/d4vd-suspect-celeste-rivas-hernandez-f58e2983916aaf3340cc48b7e711118f

The FBI is reportedly now examining potentially critical DNA evidence collected from Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Arizona.

A private Florida lab that works with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department — who’s investigating the case — sent the sample to the FBI recently, ABC News reported Thursday. The FBI is currently using new technology to do advanced analysis on the DNA sample to see if it can lead to who kidnapped Guthrie.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department previously said the DNA recovered from Guthrie’s home is a sample that came from more than one person.

It could take six months for investigators to analyze the DNA.

Nancy — the mother of “Today” anchor Savanah Guthrie — has been missing since Feb. 1.

In a “Today” show interview last month, Savannah shared chilling details about her mother’s kidnapping, including that her siblings, Camron and Annie, knew there was “something very wrong” when they saw the state of Nancy’s home.

“The doors were propped open, there was blood on the front doorstep and the Ring camera had been yanked off,” she told Hoda Kotb. “So we were saying, ‘This is not OK.’”

Savannah emotionally recounted how Nancy was taken captive “in the dead of night in her pajamas, with no shoes, without her medicine.”

“It’s just absolutely terrifying,” she said of the armed and masked individual who was caught on video breaking into Nancy’s home. “It’s just totally terrifying, and I can’t imagine that that is who she saw standing over her bed.”

Savannah returned to the “Today” show on April 6.

Former FBI agent Jason Pack exclusively told Page Six earlier this month that the “walls are closing in” on Nancy’s kidnapper after Savannah returned to “Today,” explaining that her being back on TV will help bring renewed attention to the case.

“Every day that passes the pressure builds. Keeping a secret like this is exhausting … and that gets harder with every morning that Savannah Guthrie sits behind that anchor desk,” Pack said.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/04/16/celebrity-news/fbi-analyzing-potentially-critical-dna-recovered-from-nancy-guthries-arizona-home-report/

Outside a morgue in south-eastern Turkey about a dozen men rushed to carry a coffin, but it was light – just the weight of a 10-year boy.

His father followed behind, propped up by relatives on both sides but weighed down by grief. “Oh, my martyred child,” he wailed, “oh my darling.”

His son was one of eight children shot dead on Wednesday in the city of Kahramanmaras by a fellow student,14, who also killed a teacher. This city, traditionally famous for its ice cream, now has a new and terrible distinction – it is the location of Turkey’s first deadly mass school shooting.

Relatives, neighbours and emergency services gathered around as coffins emerged one by one each draped in the Turkish flag. There was an angry yell from one woman towards a line of waiting police. “Too late, too late,” she chided. “You didn’t save the children.” Another woman shouted that the attacker should be hung in the main square, but he is already dead. He was killed at the scene.

Outside the main mosque, a mother wept, leaning forward to stroke the coffin of her daughter, Zeynep. From the family home, beside the Ayser Calik Secondary School, she heard the shots that killed her 10-year-old – shots that have reverberated around Turkey.

Relatives told us Zeynep was clever and respectful.

“She became an angel, and she flew away,” said Mahmut, her uncle, his voice breaking. “My only wish is to have more security at the schools, so this does not happen again. This pain landed on us. I do not want it to fall on anyone else.”

The attack came just one day after a former student roamed the corridors of another school in the same region, shooting at will. He wounded 16 but killed only himself.

“There have been two attacks, in a very short period, both in cities with lower incomes,” says Prof Asli Carkoglu, an expert in teen psychology. “These things do have a way of spreading.”

She is worried the deadly shooting here could become “an example for young minds that are frustrated enough”.

The attack was a tragedy but “not a surprise” to people like her who work with young adults and adolescents, she said.

“There have been stabbings, beatings and attempted suicides in the school system,” she told the BBC. “The guns weren’t there before, but the violence was.”

As the victims of the attack were being lowered into their graves, more details were emerging about the killer. The authorities here say he referred on social media to an American gunman, Elliot Rodgers, who killed six students in California in 2014. They also say an entry on his computer, dated 11 April, indicated there would be a major attack “in the near future”.

He did not have to go far to get weapons – just to the bedroom of his father, a former police officer who is himself now under arrest. He has made a statement to the authorities, according to reports in the local media, painting a picture of a bright but troubled teenager who spent a lot of time playing war games on his computer and was attending a psychologist.

While mass school shootings are a familiar horror for the US, this is a new trauma for Turkey. The authorities want to calm the public and control the narrative.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyv21q9y1go

Europe has “maybe six weeks of jet fuel left”, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned.

Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key route for jet fuel out of the Gulf, has been effectively closed by Iran for more than six weeks in response to US and Israeli attacks, sending the price rocketing and prompting fears of shortages.

IEA executive director Fatih Birol told AP there could soon be flight cancellations if supplies remained blocked.

In its monthly oil market report, the IEA- which advises 32 member countries on energy supply and security – said exports from the Gulf region were the largest source of jet fuel to the global market.

Refineries in other major exporting countries, such as Korea, India and China were themselves highly dependent on crude oil imports from the Middle East.

As a result, the crisis “has thrown a proverbial wrench into the inner workings of the aviation fuel markets”, it said.

A spokesperson for the UK government told the BBC that it was working with fuel suppliers and airlines to “ensure people keep moving and businesses are supported”.

“UK airlines are clear that they are currently not seeing disruption to supply,” they said.

Airlines UK, which represents the industry, said while it was not seeing disruption to UK jet fuel supply, it was talking to the government about “crucial measures” that would be needed to support the aviation industry in the event of fuel disruption “including reducing regulatory burdens, to protect consumers, trade, and the UK’s competitiveness”.

In the past, Europe has relied on the Middle East for about 75% of its jet fuel imports, the IEA noted.

At the moment, European countries are scrambling to replace supplies from the Gulf with imports from elsewhere. Analysts say this is coming from the US and Nigeria.

The IEA said there had been a rapid acceleration in US jet fuel exports in recent weeks.

However, it warned in its report that even if these shipments were all destined for Europe, they would only replace a little over half of the lost supplies.

Analysing different scenarios, it said that if Europe was unable to replace more than 50% of its Middle Eastern imports, “physical shortages may emerge at select airports, resulting in flight cancellations, and demand destruction”.

If three-quarters of supplies could be replaced, the same situation could still arise, but not until August.

“Consequently, for now, it would appear that European markets will need to work harder to attract further replacement cargoes from elsewhere if sufficient inventory is to be maintained over the summer months,” it said.

Amaar Khan, head of European jet fuel pricing at Argus Media, believes that even if supplies from the Gulf resume in the near future, there could still be shortages in the run-up to the summer travel peak.

“It’s not a certainty, but still, it’s looking more and more likely that there will be a shortage of some extent in some areas of Europe.

“Of course, somewhere like Heathrow is probably going to be prioritized over other smaller airports, or smaller demand hubs. But yes, even if that supply does come on, it will take five to six weeks,” he said.

Many airlines around the world have had to take emergency measures to counter the rising cost of fuel, which typically makes up 20-40% of their operating costs.

The benchmark European jet fuel price hit an all-time high of $1,838 (£1,387) per tonne at the start of April, compared with $831 before the war began.

Earlier this week, the European Commission said there was “no evidence of fuel shortages” in the European Union, but acknowledged there could be supply issues “in the near future”.

A spokesperson told a press briefing crude oil supplies to EU refineries were “stable with no need for additional stock releases at present”.

The Commission said oil and gas coordination groups were meeting weekly, and energy measures would be announced by the Commission president next week.

Last week the trade body for European airports, the Airports Council International, wrote to the Commission warning the continent could see jet fuel shortages if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen in the next three weeks.

Industry group Airlines for Europe has called on the EU to clarify its passenger compensation rules to ensure that fuel shortages or airspace closures that result from the conflict are treated as “extraordinary circumstances”.

This would mean that when they result in cancellations, airlines do not have to make significant compensation payments.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czjw2kz0l22o

The four astronauts of Artemis II say their mission gave the world a sense of hope and unity at a time when both feel in short supply.

At their first Nasa news conference since returning last Friday, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen said they left as friends and came back as something closer – bound by an experience that no earthly language can fully contain.

More than the technical milestones, the mission reminded them of what being human actually means: laughter, joy, tears, and an instinct toward one another that transcends borders.

And their message was clear: Landing on the Moon is not the distant dream it once seemed.

“We wanted to go out and try to do something that would bring the world together, to unite the world,” Wiseman told reporters at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“We were certainly hooked on this mission, but when we came home, we were shocked at the global outpouring of support, of pride, of ownership of this mission… we want to thank the world. Thank you for tuning in.”

He singled out the Orion spacecraft – named Integrity – and the Space Launch System as a symbol of what international partnership can still produce.

“Thank you to every single person that had a hand in building that machine,” he said, “because it was a magnificent machine.”

Artemis II carried its crew further from Earth than any humans have ever gone, swinging around the far side of the Moon in just over nine days. Victor Glover became the first black astronaut to reach deep space; Christina Koch the first woman; Jeremy Hansen the first Canadian.

For Koch, the scale of what they had done only became clear through others’ eyes when her husband told her on a video call that the mission had cut through divisions and united people. She found herself undone.

“When my husband looked me in the eye on that video call and said, ‘No, really, you’ve made a difference’,” she told reporters, “it brought tears to my eyes, and I said, that’s all we ever wanted.”

Glover talked about it being an experience shared by the entire world.

“I think something that we all feel and we try to share is how much we want to reflect back to you all how we did this, not we as a crew, we as countries and as humans did this,” he said.

Thinking about that, he said, brought to mind “the picture of the Earth as we started to go farther” as they traveled close to the moon and how they talked about “looking at you and how beautiful Earth is”.

Hansen found that returning to Earth had deepened his faith in people.

“We don’t always do great things. We’re not always in our integrity, but our default is to be good and to be good to one another,” he said. “What I’ve seen has brought me more joy, but more hope for our future.”

Some experiences cannot be processed through rational thought. Wiseman described the moment the Sun passed behind the Moon – an eclipse seen from 250,000 miles away – as something that overwhelmed the capacity of the human mind.

Back on the recovery ship, he sought out the chaplain, needing a way to express what he had experienced that science had not given him.

“I’m not really a religious person,” he said, “but there was just no other avenue for me to explain anything or to experience anything. So I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship… and I broke down in tears.

“I don’t think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we’re looking at right now, because it was otherworldly.”

Beyond the emotional weight, there was sheer visual wonder. Hansen found himself transfixed by the depth of space, as though seeing it for the first time. “We just saw so many amazing things,” he said. “I kept seeing this depth to the galaxy that I just had never experienced before.”

He described feeling “infinitesimally small, but yet this very powerful feeling as a human being, like as a group.”

As the news conference wore on, the room filled with laughter. Koch described being so conditioned by weightlessness that back on Earth she had dropped a shirt expecting it to float – and was startled when it fell.

“I put a shirt in the air and it went – it actually surprised me,” she said.

Not everything ran smoothly. The crew were candid about a persistent blockage in the toilet’s primary vent line, saying it got “clogged up”.

The Orion capsule, though, impressed its crew profoundly. And Wiseman, reflecting on how close they had come to the lunar surface, made a remark that will resonate in every Nasa planning room.

“If we had a first flight lander on board that thing,” he said, “I know at least three of my crewmates would have been in it, trying to land on the Moon.”

He chose his next words carefully, perhaps leaving out the word “giant” as a nod to the first words spoken on the lunar surface.

“It is not the leap I thought it was,” he said. “Once we’re around the Moon, in the vacuum of space, we’ve got a vehicle that’s handling great. If you had given us two keys to the lander, we would have taken it down and landed on that Moon.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8jpz9rx2yo

“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain,” said Pope Leo.

Pope Leo blasted leaders who spend billions on wars and said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, in unusually forceful remarks in Cameroon on Thursday (Apr 16), days after US President Donald Trump attacked him on social media.

Leo, the first American pope, also decried leaders who used religious language to justify wars and urged a “decisive change of course” in a meeting in the biggest city in Cameroon’s anglophone regions, where a simmering conflict going back nearly a decade has left thousands dead.

“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” the pontiff said.

“They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”

“A WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN”

Trump’s attacks on Leo, first launched on the eve of the pope’s ambitious four-country tour of Africa and repeated late Tuesday, have caused dismay in Africa, where more than a fifth of the world’s Catholics live.

Leo, who kept a relatively low profile for most of his first year as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, said on Thursday that she stood with the pope in his “courageous call for a kingdom of peace”.

Speaking in the anglophone city of Bamenda, the pontiff also sharply criticised leaders who invoked religious themes to justify wars.

“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” he said.

“It is a world turned upside down, an exploitation of God’s creation that must be denounced and rejected by every honest conscience.”

The pope made similar remarks last month, saying God rejected prayers from leaders with “hands full of blood”, in comments widely interpreted as aimed at US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has invoked Christian language to justify the Iran war.

Trump began his criticism of Leo on Sunday, when he called the pope “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy” in a post on Truth Social.

The US president attacked Leo again on social media late on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Trump posted an image of Jesus embracing Trump, after an earlier image he posted that portrayed him as a Jesus-like figure, prompting widespread criticism.

Leo told Reuters on Monday that he would not stop speaking out about the Iran war and has avoided responding to Trump directly since then.

THREE-DAY CEASEFIRE DURING VISIT

After arriving in the Cameroon capital Yaounde on Wednesday, Leo urged the government of the Central African nation – led by President Paul Biya, at 93 the world’s oldest ruler – to root out corruption and resist “the whims of the rich and powerful”.

During a Mass at the airport in Bamenda on Thursday, attended by around 20,000 people, the pope criticised foreigners who exploited Africa’s wealth, saying they were contributing to widespread poverty and underdevelopment.

“The time has come, today and not tomorrow, now and not in the future, to restore the mosaic of unity by bringing together the diversity and riches of the country and the continent,” he said.

Leo’s trip on Thursday to Bamenda has stirred faint hope that steps might be taken to resolve the conflict there, rooted in the country’s complex colonial and post-colonial history.

Cameroon, a former German ​colony, was partitioned by Britain and France after World War One. The French part won independence in 1960 and was joined a year later by the smaller English-speaking British area to the west.

More than 6,500 people have been killed and more than half ‌a million displaced in fighting between government forces and anglophone separatist groups, ⁠according to the International Crisis Group.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/pope-leo-decries-tyrants-cameroon-6061441

Local reports often attribute the eliminations to “unidentified gunmen” or mysterious circumstances.

Amir Hamza, a founding member of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has been shot by unknown gunmen in Lahore. Hamza suffered bullet injuries in an attack by motorcycle-borne unidentified gunmen on Thursday, police said. He is currently being treated in a hospital.

In the past two to three years, a significant number of India-designated “most-wanted” terrorists and high-ranking commanders of groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have been eliminated in Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The eliminations have often been attributed by local reports to “unidentified gunmen” or mysterious circumstances.

Terrorists Killed By “Unknown Gunmen”

Just last month, Muhammad Tahir Anwar died in Pakistan, reportedly under mysterious circumstances. He was Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar’s elder brother. He played a key role within Jaish-e-Mohammed and was actively involved in the terror outfit’s operations.

In March last year, a top Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist, Abu Qatal or Qatal Sindhi, was also killed by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Jhelum Sindh. He was a close aide to the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Hafiz Saeed. He was allegedly the mastermind behind the Reasi attack in 2024 in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed nine people and injured 33 others.

The pattern of such killings became evident in 2023, following the elimination of seven terrorists over a span of seven months.

One of the seven eliminations of these was Paramjit Singh Panjwar, chief of the Khalistan Commando Force, who had long been involved in arms smuggling, drug trafficking, and extremist operations. On May 6, 2023, while taking a routine walk in Lahore’s Johar Town, two motorcycle-borne assailants approached and shot him dead.

“Unknown men” killed Mufti Qaiser Farooq, another close associate of Hafiz Saeed, in Karachi. The 30-year-old was shot near a religious institution in the Samanabad area in October 2023. Farooq suffered bullet wounds in the back and died during treatment in a hospital.

Shahid Latif, the alleged mastermind of the 2016 Pathankot terror attack, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s Sialkot in October 2023. The 54-year-old was on the list of India’s ‘most-wanted terrorists’.

Khwaja Shahid, also known as Mia Mujahid, a high-ranking commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, was found beheaded near the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in November 2023. He was reportedly kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from his home in the Neelum Valley a few days before his death. His decapitated body showed signs of severe torture.

Akram Khan Ghazi, a top commander of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, was shot dead in November 2023 by unidentified attackers on motorcycles. Ghazi was a key figure in the LeT recruitment cell and was known for his anti-India speeches and radicalising youth for infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/from-karachi-to-lahore-a-kill-trail-of-terrorists-in-pakistan-by-unknown-gunmen-11367052?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

The response comes after Trump said the United States and Iran were close to reaching a deal following nearly six weeks of conflict.

Iran has pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran has agreed to hand over its stockpile of enriched uranium, with sources saying no such arrangement has been negotiated so far.

A source close to Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said “no form of nuclear material transfer to America has been negotiated,” directly contradicting Trump’s assertion.

Another Iranian source rejected the claim outright, calling it “another lie,” and added that “no major progress has been made” in the ongoing talks. The source further said that any continuation of negotiations would depend on “compliance with all of Iran’s conditions.”

Trump Claimed Breakthrough

The response comes after Trump said the United States and Iran were close to reaching a deal following nearly six weeks of conflict. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he claimed Tehran had agreed to transfer its enriched uranium stockpile.

“They’ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust,” Trump said, referring to enriched uranium that Washington believes could be used in nuclear weapons development. He added that there was a “very good chance” of a deal being finalised.

Trump also indicated that he could travel to Islamabad if an agreement is signed there, suggesting that diplomatic efforts were nearing a decisive stage.

Focus On Nuclear Restrictions

The US President reiterated that any agreement must ensure Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons under any circumstances. He rejected the idea of a time-bound arrangement, such as a temporary halt on uranium enrichment, and stressed that restrictions must be permanent.

“The big thing we have to do is make sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, warning that failure to achieve this would lead to significant global consequences. He also claimed that Iran had agreed “very powerfully” to such conditions.

At the same time, Trump said Tehran appeared more flexible in recent negotiations compared to earlier phases, indicating what he described as a shift in Iran’s stance after weeks of military escalation.

Iran Signals No Breakthrough Yet

Despite these claims, Iranian sources indicated that talks remain unresolved and far from a final agreement. They said there has been no substantive progress on key issues, including nuclear material transfers, and suggested that Washington’s statements may be premature.

The sources also emphasised that Iran’s position remains conditional, with any forward movement in negotiations tied to the US meeting specific terms set by Tehran. Details of these conditions have not been made public.

Fragile Diplomatic Phase

The conflicting narratives highlight the fragile nature of ongoing diplomacy between the two countries. While Washington has projected optimism about a potential deal, Tehran’s response suggests that critical differences remain.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/iran-denies-trumps-claim-on-handing-over-enriched-uranium-no-such-deal-ws-l-10038101.html

Trump hails 10 day Israel Lebanon ceasefire, urges Hezbollah to act nicely, says truce follows talks with Netanyahu and Aoun and could lead to broader Middle East peace talks

US President Donald Trump on Friday urged Hezbollah to “act nicely” and support ongoing peace efforts, as a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect amid continued tensions in the region.

“I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be an GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!” Trump said, framing the truce as a key opportunity to move towards a broader resolution of the conflict.

Ceasefire Begins Amid Diplomatic Push

The ceasefire, which began at midnight local time in Israel and Lebanon, follows weeks of intense hostilities that have resulted in significant casualties and displacement. The truce is part of a broader diplomatic push led by Washington to de-escalate tensions not just between Israel and Lebanon, but also in the wider Middle East amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

Trump said the agreement came after what he described as “excellent” conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. He indicated that both leaders had agreed to pause hostilities as a step towards a possible long-term peace arrangement.

He also signalled that efforts were underway to bring the two leaders together for direct talks, potentially at the White House, marking a significant diplomatic breakthrough after decades of hostility between the two nations.

‘Very Exciting’ Moment, Says Trump

Calling the development “very exciting,” Trump said the ceasefire could pave the way for the first high-level engagement between Israel and Lebanon in decades. He added that Hezbollah was also part of the ceasefire understanding, suggesting that all parties had agreed to temporarily halt attacks.

According to Trump, the current pause in fighting is intended to last for about a week initially, during which there would be no aerial bombardment or military strikes. The aim, he said, is to assess whether conditions are conducive for a more durable peace agreement.

“They’re going to be having a ceasefire, and that will include Hezbollah,” Trump said, adding that “we’re not going to have bombs dropping” during this period.

Fragile Situation On Ground

Despite the ceasefire, the situation on the ground remains fragile. Reports of gunfire in parts of Beirut, particularly in Hezbollah strongholds, surfaced as the truce came into effect, though it was not immediately clear whether this was celebratory or indicative of violations.

The conflict, which began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, quickly expanded when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in early March. Since then, Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in Lebanon have led to over 2,000 deaths and displaced more than a million people.

Israel’s military said it had carried out strikes on hundreds of Hezbollah targets shortly before the ceasefire began and remains on high alert in case hostilities resume.

Wider Stakes In Region

The ceasefire is also closely linked to ongoing US efforts to negotiate a broader settlement with Iran, which has insisted that any deal must include de-escalation in Lebanon. While Washington and Israel have denied that the Lebanon truce is formally tied to Iran talks, the timing underscores the interconnected nature of the regional conflict.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/hezbollah-must-act-nicely-no-more-killing-trump-on-israel-lebanon-ceasefire-ws-l-10038078.html

Last August, U.S. Navy officials carrying out a test of unmanned vessels realized they had hit a single point of failure: Starlink. A global outage across Elon Musk’s satellite network ​affecting millions of Starlink users had left two dozen unmanned surface vessels bobbing off the California coast, disrupting communications and halting operations for almost an hour.
The incident, which involved drones ‌intended to bolster U.S. military options in a conflict with China, was one of several Navy test disruptions linked to SpaceX’s Starlink that left operators unable to connect with autonomous boats, according to internal Navy documents reviewed by Reuters and a person familiar with the matter.

As SpaceX rockets toward a $2 trillion public offering this summer – expected to be the largest ever – the company has secured its position as the world’s most valuable space company in part by being indispensable to the U.S. government ​with an array of technologies spanning satellite communications to space launches and military AI.
Starlink, in particular, has proved key to crucial programs – from drones to missile tracking – with a low-earth orbit ​constellation of close to 10,000 satellites, a scale that provides the military with a network resilient against potential adversary attacks.
But the Navy’s mishaps with Starlink for ⁠its autonomous drone program, which have not been previously reported, highlight the challenges of the U.S. military’s growing reliance on SpaceX and the risks it brings to the Pentagon.

“If there was no Starlink, the U.S. ​government wouldn’t have access to a global constellation of low earth orbit communications,” said Clayton Swope, a deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Pentagon did not respond ​to questions about the drone test or SpaceX’s work with the Navy. The Pentagon’s chief information officer, Kirsten Davies, said the “Department leverages multiple, robust, resilient systems for its broad network.”
The Navy and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment.
Despite facing growing competition from Amazon.com (AMZN.O), which announced an $11.6 billion agreement this week to acquire satellite maker Globalstar, SpaceX remains far ahead in low-earth orbit communications.

Beyond drones, SpaceX has cemented a near-monopoly for space launches and provides satellite communications with Starlink and its ​national security-focused constellation, Starshield, generating billions of dollars for the company. Last month, U.S. Space Force said it had reassigned its upcoming GPS launch, opens new tab to a SpaceX rocket for the fourth time, due to a glitch ​in the Vulcan rocket made by the Boeing (BA.N), and Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), joint venture United Launch Alliance.

WARNINGS ABOUT RELYING ON SPACEX

Democratic lawmakers have warned the Pentagon about the risks of its reliance on a single company led by the world’s ‌richest man to ⁠deliver crucial national security capabilities. More recently, the Defense Department’s disagreements and blacklisting of AI startup Anthropic quickly revealed how an overreliance on one AI vendor could create problems should that vendor be dropped.
Reuters reported last year that Musk unexpectedly switched off Starlink access to Ukrainian troops as they sought to retake territory from Russia, denting allies’ trust in the billionaire.

In Taiwan, SpaceX faced criticism over concerns it was withholding satellite communications to U.S. service members based there, “possibly in breach of SpaceX’s contractual obligations with the U.S. government,” according to a 2024 letter sent by then-U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher to Musk, reported by Forbes at the time. SpaceX disputed the claim ​in a post on X.

Reuters could not determine whether SpaceX ​has since provided Starlink service in Taiwan ⁠to U.S. service members. The Pentagon and SpaceX did not respond to questions about Taiwan.
“As a matter of operational security, we do not comment on or discuss plans, operations capabilities or effects,” an official said in a statement.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/starlink-outage-hit-drone-tests-exposing-pentagons-growing-reliance-spacex-2026-04-16/

The Kremlin took the unusual step of ​publicly acknowledging sharp criticism of the authorities from a celebrity blogger on Thursday, saying work was under ‌way to address a slew of problems identified by social media influencer Viktoria Bonya.
Bonya, who is well known inside Russia for her appearances on reality TV shows and other programmes, has a huge social media following, and a video appeal she made to President Vladimir Putin this week was ​watched more than 20 million times and liked over 1 million times on Instagram.

In her video appeal, Bonya – who ​lives outside Russia – said she supported Putin, but said that officials were not telling him the ⁠truth about the country’s real problems, that the Russian people were suffering, and that they were being squeezed so hard ​by corrupt officials that they might one day erupt.
“You know what the risk is?” she said. “That people will stop being afraid ​and they’re being squeezed into a coiled spring and that one day that coiled spring will shoot out.”

KREMLIN SAYS WORK IS BEING DONE

Among other things, she spoke out against a sweeping crackdown on the internet, social media and messenger apps, accused the authorities of being too slow to respond ​to floods in Dagestan, and said they had mishandled the outbreak this year of a cattle disease in Siberia that led ​to an unpopular culling.

“The people are afraid of you,” she told Putin. “There is a big wall between the people and you,” she said, ‌blaming regional ⁠governors, government officials and lawmakers for not telling Putin the truth about what was going on.
Instagram, like Facebook, is banned in Russia but Russians are able to watch it using virtual private networks.
When asked about Bonya’s public appeal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Of course, we’ve seen it. It’s quite popular.”
“It touches on many topics, on each of which, as you can see – as ​you have seen – work is ​actually being done,” he said.
“But, ⁠to be fair, a great deal of work is being done on them, a large number of people are involved, and none of this has been overlooked,” he added.

BLOGGER SAYS SHE ​IS ACTING FOR RUSSIANS

The idea of Putin as “a good Tsar” misinformed by nefarious officials is ​not a new ⁠one, and Kremlin critics suggested that Bonya’s appeal may have been coordinated with the authorities to let people feel that their problems are being aired and dealt with ahead of parliamentary elections later this year.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/kremlin-acknowledges-criticism-after-blogger-warns-putin-squeezed-russians-could-2026-04-16/

A 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect ​on Thursday and President Donald Trump said the next meeting between the United States and Iran may take place over the weekend, adding to optimism that the Iran war could be nearing an end.
Trump said Iran had offered ‌not to possess nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Tehran’s nuclear ambitions were a sticking point at talks in Islamabad last weekend.

“We’re going to see what happens. But I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” he told reporters outside the White House.
Hours later at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada, Trump went further, saying the war “should be ending pretty soon.”
The war with Iran, which began on February 28 with a U.S.-Israeli attack, has killed thousands and sent oil prices surging, creating a major political headache for the U.S. president.
If the Lebanon ceasefire clears the way for a broader peace deal with ​Iran, it would be a significant win for the Trump administration, which has struggled so far to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and block Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon.

Celebratory gunfire rang out across parts of Beirut as the ​clock struck midnight on Thursday, the time the ceasefire was set to go into effect. For around half an hour, the sound of explosions from rockets fired in celebration could also be heard, ⁠witnesses said.
But the pause in hostilities remained fragile.
The Lebanese Army said early on Friday that Israel committed violations of the ceasefire after it took effect, including the intermittent shelling of several southern Lebanese villages.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which had said ​earlier that its forces remained deployed in the area. In a post on X, Arabic-language military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the deployment was in response to what he described as continued Hezbollah militant activity.
Hezbollah released a lengthy statement detailing what it described as its military operations ​against Israel throughout Thursday, which showed that its last attack came at 11:50 p.m. local time, 10 minutes before the ceasefire took effect.

Trump later issued a social media post urging Hezbollah to respect the ceasefire.
“I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time. It will be an GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!” he said.

FURTHER ISRAEL-LEBANON TALKS PLANNED

Trump said in his earlier remarks to reporters that he thought the U.S. had a chance of a deal with Iran.
“And if that happens, oil goes way down, prices go way down, inflation goes way down, ​and … much more importantly than even that, you won’t have a nuclear holocaust,” he said.

The president said he was not sure a two-week ceasefire agreed with Iran last week would need to be extended beyond next week, adding that Tehran wanted to make a deal.
“We ​have a very good relationship with Iran right now, as hard as it is to believe. And I think it’s a combination of about four weeks of bombing, and a very powerful blockade.”
Conflict between Israel and the Iran-aligned Lebanese group Hezbollah was reignited by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. ‌Hezbollah opened fire ⁠in support of Tehran on March 2, prompting an Israeli offensive in Lebanon 15 months after their last major conflict.
Trump said he had held “excellent conversations” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and planned to invite them both to the White House for “meaningful talks”.
He said later that the White House meeting could take place over the next week or two, and that if an Iran deal was reached and signed in Islamabad, he might travel there for the occasion.
Trump said he had directed U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve lasting peace.
Iran welcomed the ceasefire in Lebanon, saying it was part of an understanding reached with the United States and mediated by Pakistan, Iranian media ​reported, citing a statement by a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

SIGNS OF POSSIBLE ​COMPROMISE ON NUCLEAR ISSUES

Closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through ⁠which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply flows, has caused the worst oil price shock in history and forced the International Monetary Fund to downgrade its outlook for the global economy, warning prolonged conflict could push the world to the brink of recession.
At last weekend’s talks, the U.S. proposed a 20-year suspension of all nuclear activity by Iran – an apparent concession from longstanding demands for a permanent ​ban. Tehran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.
Washington has pressed for any highly enriched uranium (HEU) to be removed from Iran. Tehran has demanded ​that international sanctions against it be ⁠lifted.
Two Iranian sources said there were signs of a compromise emerging on the HEU stockpile, with Tehran considering shipping part, but not all, of it out of the country, something it had previously ruled out.
A diplomatic source said the key Pakistani mediator, Army chief Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday and had made a breakthrough on “sticky issues”, although Tehran said the fate of its nuclear program had not been resolved. Trump has said the accord would open the Strait of Hormuz.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hopes-middle-east-peace-grow-israel-discusses-lebanon-ceasefire-2026-04-16/

France and Britain will ​chair a meeting on Friday of around 40 countries aimed at signalling to the United States that ‌some of its closest allies are ready to play a role in restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.
Iran has largely closed the strait to ships other than its own since the start of U.S.-Israeli air strikes on February 28. On ​Monday, Washington imposed a blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.

U.S. President Donald Trump has called on ​other countries to help enforce the blockade and has criticised NATO allies for not doing so.
Britain, ⁠France and others say joining the blockade would amount to entering the war, but they have said they would ​be willing to help keep the strait open once there is a lasting ceasefire or the conflict ends.
The initiative being discussed ​does not for now include the United States or Iran, though European diplomats said any realistic mission would ultimately need to be coordinated with both. Washington will be briefed on the outcome of the talks.

SAFETY OF STRANDED SEAFARERS

According to a note sent to invited nations, the ​aim of the meeting is to reaffirm full diplomatic support for unfettered freedom of navigation through the Strait of ​Hormuz and the need to respect international law.

The meeting will also address economic challenges facing the shipping industry and the safety of more ‌than ⁠20,000 stranded seafarers and trapped commercial vessels.
It will also outline preparations for the deployment – when conditions are met – of a strictly defensive multinational military mission to ensure freedom of navigation.
A chair’s statement is expected at the end of the meeting to give a more tangible sense of what such a mission could entail, although it is not expected to spell out ​what specific countries might contribute.

RESOURCES ​WILL DEPEND ON SITUATION, ⁠OFFICIAL SAYS

President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will attend the meeting in Paris, while officials from across Europe, ​Asia and the Middle East will join by video conference.

China has been invited, although it ​was not clear ⁠whether it will take part.
Several diplomats said the mission might never materialise if the situation in Hormuz returned to normal.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/countries-discuss-hormuz-mission-when-conflict-ends-2026-04-17/

Explosive Media, a group of pro-Tehran creators with suspected ties to the Iranian government, has gained internet notoriety during the US-Iran war for animation videos that have racked up millions of views.

YouTube has terminated a channel belonging to a pro-Iran group producing viral Lego-themed AI videos that ridicule US President Donald Trump, the Google-owned platform said on Wednesday (Apr 15), sparking online criticism.

Explosive Media, a group of pro-Tehran creators that describes itself as independent but is widely suspected of ties to the Iranian government, has gained internet notoriety during the US-Iran war for animation videos that have racked up millions of views.

“We terminated the channel for violating our spam, deceptive practices and scams policies,” a YouTube spokesman told AFP, without elaborating.

The channel was suspended on Mar 27, he added.

Explosive Media was still posting videos mocking the US war effort on other tech platforms, including the Elon Musk-owned X and Telegram.

Meta-owned Instagram also took down the group’s account, US media reported, but another account under its name was still active on Wednesday.

Meta did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.

Lashing out at YouTube, Explosive Media wrote on X: “Seriously! Are our LEGO-style animations actually violent?”

WIDELY SHARED

YouTube’s suspension appeared to have limited impact on Explosive Media’s reach, with its videos still being widely shared by content creators on the platform.

The satirical videos, which tap into American popular culture, caricatured Trump with an oversized yellow head and portrayed him as an old, isolated figure prone to childish tantrums, seemingly disconnected from reality.

After a two-week ceasefire was announced last week, the group posted a video on X with the caption: “TACO will always remain TACO,” referring to the acronym “Trump always chickens out”.

With dramatic background music, the video depicts a Trump-like toy figure huddling with Arab leaders, hurling a chair at US military figures, while Iranian generals press a red button labelled “Back to the Stone Age”, unleashing a torrent of destruction across the Middle East.

Cartoonish video memes – amplified by Iranian diplomatic missions and pro-Tehran accounts on social media – are emerging as an effective information warfare tool, a phenomenon analysts have dubbed the “Legofication” of conflict propaganda.

In recent weeks, viral meme videos have depicted fictional Iranian military victories, world leaders in subservient scenarios – dependent on Iranian leaders for oil – and even the strategic Strait of Hormuz reimagined as a cartoonish toll booth.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/pro-iran-youtube-mocking-trump-suspend-channel-lego-6059621

A massive solar tower in the Moroccan desert is the beacon of an ambitious push for a clean energy future. But fossil fuels and grid constraints stand in the way.

The Moroccan city of Ouarzazate, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Marrakech, lies on the edge of the Sahara and is known as the “door to the desert.”

Ouarzazate is probably best known for the Atlas Film Studios, where blockbusters from “The Mummy” to “Gladiator” and “Game of Thrones” have been filmed. But a new industry is taking shape.

Near the city, lying on a high plateau hemmed by the Atlas Mountains, one of the world’s largest solar power plants is being built. It is named Noor, meaning light in Arabic.

Stretching over nearly 500 hectares (some 1,200 acres), the solar facility produces enough energy to power more than a million homes. But this is not a typical solar farm.

Fossil fuels still dominate energy mix

Instead of commonly seen black PV panels, Noor uses concentrated solar power. A field of 2 million giant mirrors reflects the sun’s rays onto a central receiver that sits at the top of a 247-meter (810-foot) tower. The concentrated sunlight melts molten salt to 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 degrees Fahrenheit). That makes steam, which spins turbines, generating electricity even hours after sunset.

In Ouarzazate, however, electricity remains expensive. Most households are not dependent on solar, but on butane gas. So why hasn’t clean energy arrived for the local community?

One reason is that Morocco’s energy grid is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, and especially coal-fired power generation. Intissar Fakir, a senior fellow and founding director of the North Africa and the Sahel program at the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C. said this has slowed the nation’s clean energy transition.

“Fossil fuel-generated electricity contributes about 48% of the country’s energy-related greenhouse gas emissions,” she said.

Moroccans spend around $110 (€94) of their $550 average monthly income on electricity. This is in a hot and dry country, where residents rely on air conditioning or a fan to stay cool. It’s regularly over 40 degrees Celsius in Ouarzazate during the summer, and the number of hot days and nights has roughly doubled in the region since the 1970s.

This expense is partly down to the fact that Morocco does not produce any fossil fuels domestically, and imports about 90% of its coal, oil and gas, Fakir explained. Energy market and price fluctuations mean fossil fuel imports consume a major portion of the national budget, making the switch away from planet-heating coal, oil and gas increasingly urgent.

Power grid limitations delays energy transition

That said, Morocco has made more progress on renewables than most North African countries.

“Even by global standards, Morocco’s transition plan is pretty ambitious,” said Fakir. By 2030, the country plans to be able to power its economy with 52% of renewable electricity. By 2050, it’s aiming for 70% clean power capacity. And considering that the country has ample sun and coastal wind, the conditions seem right.

The Noor solar plant might be the star of Morocco’s shift to renewables, but it’s just one of around two dozen solar, wind and hydro megaprojects already built. Another several dozen are in the pipeline.

The country has also recently pledged to phase out coal power entirely by 2040 as part of its clean energy transition.

But it has some catching up to do. While it currently has enough renewable technology to generate 46% of its electricity, in 2023 the nation only achieved a little over half of that.

“The actual output in the country’s ability to integrate what Noor produces remains quite limited,” said Fakir. “Morocco still needs to invest in its grid capacity so they can integrate more of these renewable energies into daily use.” This includes investment in ways to store energy.

She said more investment is also needed if the country is to realize its goal of selling its clean power abroad — especially to Europe.

“Even as solar panels and wind turbines get cheaper, building large-scale, clean energy systems like Noor still takes serious upfront investment for low income countries,” she explained.

Are megaprojects the way forward for renewables?

Researchers and civil society organizations have also been critical of the government’s focus on megaprojects like Noor instead of more decentralized, small-scale clean energy schemes, including rooftop PV panels for homes, businesses and farms.

One critique is that concentrated solar power is very water intensive. Its millions of mirrors need to be cleaned with water to remove sand and dust that get in the way of their ability to reflect light. In addition, a lot of grazing land was appropriated from local farmers to host Noor, with little consultation.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/solar-power-in-moroccan-desert-bold-vision-mixed-results-noor-solar-project-ouarzazate/a-75387618

Carnival Cruise Line must pay $300,000 to a former passenger after a federal jury in South Florida found that the company was negligent in serving the woman more than a dozen shots of tequila before she fell down some stairs and suffered a possible traumatic brain injury.

The Miami federal jury decided last Friday in favor of Diana Sanders, a 45-year-old nurse from Vacaville, California.

“Taking on a corporate giant like Carnival is a massive undertaking, and I have enormous respect for my client’s resilience throughout this 18-month litigation,” Sanders’ attorney Spencer Aronfeld said in an email. “This case highlights the inherent dangers of all-inclusive drink packages, which encourage excessive consumption and pressure underpaid servers to prioritize tips over safety.”

A statement from Carnival Corporation said it respectfully disagrees with the verdict and believes there are grounds for a new trial and appeal, which it will pursue.

According to the lawsuit, Sanders was a passenger aboard the Carnival Radiance on Jan. 5, 2024, when was served at least 14 shots between approximately 2:58 p.m. and 11:37 p.m. She experienced a fall some time between 11:45 p.m. and 12:20 a.m. that caused her to suffer a concussion, headaches, a possible traumatic brain injury, back injuries, tailbone injuries, bruising and other injuries, the complaint said.

Aronfeld said jurors were presented with evidence of 30 minutes of missing surveillance video from the time Sanders left the Casino bar until she was found unconscious in a crew only area.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/cruise-alcohol-lawsuit-carnival-f55c49ed09af5511aa24cf1fb3f2f230